Romance Dawn
by DarkIceAngelFlare
Summary: KHR Pirate AU! Setting and idea is from One Piece but not crossover and will not follow canon. Tsuna is an up-and-coming pirate captain in a world ruled by the Marines and haunted by the empty throne of the Pirate Queen. All he wanted to do was sail the Grand Line but his new crewmate has other plans! Main R27, but 8059, XS, 6996 and CoLal implied. Rating might go up. No OCs/GB
1. Bounties & Promises

So this is my first real R27 fic, as well as my first plunge into a multi-chapter story, since I normally do drabbles. I hope you guys enjoy it!

Okay, so in case any of you guys don't watch One Piece, the Grand Line is the current/largest ocean in the world of One Piece. Unlike the four normal seas - North Blue, South Blue, West Blue and East Blue - it is an extremely dangerous and hard place to survive in, but is also where all the fun stuff happens. They call it the "Pirate's Graveyard".

Beli is the currency in One Piece.

If you want to know more, or are confused about something, PM me or you can Google it. If I get something wrong, let me know so I can fix it :)

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't think I even own the plot. At least not yet O.o

Warnings: Possibly OOC, swearing, Fem!Viper, FonxViper, TYL!Lambo.

* * *

Chapter 1: Bounties and Promises

Espresso is a lovely thing. He didn't normally use the word 'lovely' to describe things, but irritation, fatigue and the damp permeating his suit had severely damaged his vocabulary. That's where espresso came in. The glorious bitterness of his favourite drink was poetry in the making- no other substance could rekindle his mind and give him the stamina to put out his untouchable front after the rough week he had experienced. Unfortunately, his espresso had run out a few days ago and was probably the main instigator of the deadly aura that surrounded him as he stalked down the street. Luckily, he could finally make out the outline of his favourite eatery, The Monkey's Eye.

The bar's creepy sign of Horus's Eye painted over a monkey swung wildly in the rain as he entered the warm interior. Despite being in a slum area, the furnishings of the bar were top class, though the atmosphere was somewhat cold even with a sizeable crowd and a burning hearth.

Ignoring the customers who had turned at his entry, he pulled off his dripping outer coat as he sat down at the sleek counter to order. "One espresso and tell your wife to get here before I kill her."

"Nice to see you too, Reborn. How was your mission?" the bartender asked with a smile as he turned to make the drink.

"If I'm asking for your wife, how do you think it went, Fon?"

"My, aren't you in a bad mood?" the long-haired man chuckled as he placed the steaming drink in front of his friend. He received a sour look for his troubles, but he expected little else. Reborn was insufferable when he was suffering from caffeine withdrawal.

"You had better be paying for that drink, Reborn," came a voice as a slim woman approached with new orders. "Six beers for table 3," she monotonously informed her husband before turning her hooded face to Reborn.

"After the shit you put my through, Viper, it should be on the house," Reborn groused as he raised the cup to his lips. The rising steam brushed against his handsome visage and disappeared alongside his signature curly sideburns.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"All the more proof that you're a shitty informant."

"It's not my job to know every detail of your life."

"Aren't information brokers supposed to know everything?"

"Only what sells."

"And information about the world's best bounty hunter doesn't sell?"

"No amount of money in this world could be enough to make me keep track of your life."

"Then you're a shitty businesswoman as well."

"Now now, ladies, put the claws away," Fon joked as he passed over the order Viper had asked for. Reborn glared at him as he finally took a sip of the cooling dark liquid.

As it touched his tongue, his mind blanked and his eyes closed. Heavenly was the only way to describe the way heat pooled in his stomach as he finally received his addiction after days of abstinence.

"When you're done orgasming over your drink, I would like my cut of the payment."

"Bite me, bitch."

"Reborn," Fon's warning tone came with a hint of ice and the bounty hunter reluctantly subsided with his attack on the purple- haired female seated next to him.

"Make him another," she ordered her husband, before demanding her payment again.

The next fifteen minutes consisted of Reborn explaining to her why she didn't deserve a single beli, beginning with her information about his target being woefully inaccurate and ending with the fact that the pirate with the biggest bounty in the crew he had gone after had been dead for a month.

"But you got the rest of his crew, right?" When he answered affirmatively, she held out her hand expectantly. "Then you still have to pay the 10%."

"Were you even listening to me?"

"You were whining. I don't care. Pay up."

Reborn slammed the cash onto the counter before glaring at his former martial artist friend who was trying to contain his laughter. "I don't know how the two of you are married."

"There's a sentiment we both can agree on," Viper muttered as she counted the bills she had received.

"You know you love me, Viper," Fon kissed her cheek but was ignored in favour of the money. "Don't be so cold!"

While she snarled at him for distracting her, their friend glanced up at the bounty posters set against the wall. Underneath the glaring Wanted Dead or Alive captions, the numbers he picked out were too low for his taste.

"There's some new bounties that just came in that you might be interested in," Viper said over her shoulder as she stood to attend to her customers. "It's for those newbies, the Sky Lion Crew. Looks like they've managed to get theirs up significantly despite not having entered the Grand Line yet."

Reborn hummed thoughtfully around his fourth drink as Fon placed the posters in front of him. After seeing the 250 000 beli offered on just one, his attention was caught.

"Calm Storm" Yamamoto Takeshi - 190 000.

"Smoking Bomb" Gokudera Hayato - 170 000.

"Extreme Boxer" Sasagawa Ryohei - 150 000

"Steel-Singing" Chrome - 100 000.

"Grenade Boy" Lambo - 90 000

And finally, their captain: "Sky Lion" Sawada Tsunayoshi - 250 000.

That brought their total to 950 000 beli, unusually high for such a small crew that hadn't even made it to the Grand Line.

"How did they manage it?" Reborn asked as he examined the posters more closely. "They look like kids! Hell, their captain looks like a wimp!"

He gestured towards the picture of the Sky Lion, who was depicted rubbing his neck with a nervous smile on his face and his arm in a sling. One could just barely see the tattoo on his hand that gave him and his crew their nickname.

"If you want all the details you will have to ask Viper," Fon said as he polished a glass meticulously, "but have you ever heard of the Helora Institute?"

"The top-secret World Government facility in West Blue?"

"That's the one, although it's not so top-secret anymore. Actually, it doesn't even exist anymore."

Reborn stared at his friend as if he had grown another head. "Are you telling me that these brats took down the most heavily guarded research lab outside of the Grand Line all on their own?"

"So they say. Apparently, the girl - is her name Chrome? - was one of the specimens there and she joined their crew after they destroyed the place."

"So they were conducting human experimentation there? Scientists have no shame," Reborn growled.

"I think we both have personal experience of that fact," Fon smiled, but it came across strained.

"Still, that doesn't explain why they would attack the Institute. There's no way their initial goal was to get the girl."

"No one is sure yet," Viper answered before Fon could, appearing again with empty glasses in her hand. "However, some are saying that the town that Helora was based in was suffering for a long time and the Sky Lion attacked because he was disgusted by the plight of the people there."

"Highly improbable," Reborn scoffed and finished off his drink. "People don't do things without reward, least of all pirates."

The couple looked at him long and hard before Fon softly said, "You, of all people, should know that's not true."

Reborn's heart clenched as those words opened a never-healed wound, but he refused to let it show. "How old are they?" he asked, and the two allowed him to steer the topic away from the turbulent ground.

"I believe the youngest is Lambo, who is about 16. Chrome's age is unconfirmed, but the rest are all about 19."

Reborn considered that. "They're quite young."

"I've known of younger..." Again an award silence reigned before Fon cut in.

"They aren't that young. There's only 8 years difference between you and them, Reborn."

"Physically, yes," was the short reply as Reborn gathered his things. "Do you mind if I take these?" He indicated towards the posters.

Viper shrugged. "Might as well. No point in putting them up if you're taking the job."

"Are you leaving already?" Fon asked. "You only just got back."

"I'll rest for a day, mother hen. And if you can, find some more info about them, Viper. Accurate info," he added darkly, glaring at her with the last of his previous anger.

She waved him away dismissively and he walked off into the rain.

"I'm surprised you didn't pester him about his tab," Fon commented lightly as she slipped behind the bar keep.

"He'll pay it when he gets back from his next mission," the small woman replied before resting against him.

She always said that, but Fon never called her out on it. The tab was an unspoken promise between the three, despite both Reborn and Viper hating unpaid debts.

At least with that bill between them, they knew Reborn would come back to them and not disappear as the others had.

* * *

"I still can't believe your bounty is higher than mine!"

"I have such an extreme nickname - The Extreme Boxer! It makes me happy to the extreme!"

"My bounty is the lowest..."

"C-Cheer up, Lambo, bounties aren't everything!"

"It must have been because I ran out of ammo in the last fight! That's bullshit!"

"Gokudera, I don't think it really matters whether Yamamoto has a slightly bigger bounty than you."

"But Jyuudaime!"

"Maa maa, Gokudera, I didn't mean for it to happen."

"You son of a bitch, I bet you did! You want to be the Jyuudaime's first mate, don't you?!"

Tsuna sighed as chaos erupted in the galley once again. He would have preferred Chrome's first official meal onboard to have been more normal, but the arrival of the newspaper and the subsequent news of their new bounties had ruined it. He morosely bit into his pancake and sighed again.

"What's wrong, Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked worriedly. "Do you not like it? I made it just how you normally want it."

"The pancakes taste wonderful," he assured his cook. "I'm just... worried about the new bounties." Because it wasn't as if he could just say that they were being too rowdy for his early morning taste. "If we draw too much attention to ourselves, the Marines will be on our tails all the time. You guys would get hurt..."

His crew members responded with warm, wide smiles.

"Don't worry about us, Jyuudaime. We can handle ourselves."

"No matter what happens, we will be right beside you to the extreme!"

"Yare yare, you think such troublesome things. The Great Lambo did not leave his island to be coddled by you, Tsuna."

"I'm not very strong b-but I want to help you no matter what, Boss!"

"As long as it's to help out my buddies, I can take anything. So don't worry, Tsuna!"

Tsuna was overcome with emotion and hid his face in his hands. "You guys!"

Screw their noise and wildness. He wouldn't trade his crew for anything in the world.

* * *

"We're almost at the Grand Line!" Gokudera called out excitedly as the crew rushed around the deck, trying to control their ship through the storm. "Oi, what the hell are you doing, baseball idiot?"

Tsuna looked up from tying the last rope to the mast to see Yamamoto placing a barrel of wine in the middle of their deck.

"I thought it would be nice to celebrate before we try to get to the other side!" the swordsman yelled to be heard over the shrieking wind.

Their navigator scowled as he made his way over. "We can't get drunk before the crossing! Are you mad?"

"Not that kind of celebration!" the raven-haired teen responded enthusiastically. "It's an old tradition! You say what your dream is and then everyone smashes the barrel together!"

"That's such a waste of good wine!" Lambo was horrified, even though he was technically too young to drink.

"I think it's a good idea!" Tsuna piped up and the others turned to stare at their short captain.

"If Jyuudaime says so, then..." Gokudera mumbled.

"I'll go first!" Yamamoto placed his foot on the rim of the casket. "I want to become a great swordsman that can always protect his friends!"

"I want to become the best boxer in the world, TO THE EXTREME!"

Lambo hesitantly put his foot on the barrel. "I want to become a brave man of the sea!"

"I want to become the best first mate in the world!" Gokudera offered up, before lending a hand to Chrome to steady herself on.

"I want to explore everything the world has to offer!" she said, struggling to be heard over the noise.

"I want to protect my friends and travel over every sea!" Tsuna finished, feeling his resolution burn brighter at the declaration.

"TO THE GRAND LINE!" they cried, and shattered the crate into pieces.


	2. Suspicious Encounters

Oh my gosh, guys! The amount of responses I got to this fic is phenomenal! Thanks for all the reviews, favourites and follows. It was the highlight of my week getting all those emails!

I'm not sure if everything I said about the Log Pose is true, but screw it. This is an AU. Also, I don't own the name Ieyasu. I read that in a fanfic somewhere. Three guesses how Reborn got that specific alias!

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Chapter 2: Suspicious Encounters

* * *

"Okay, so let me get this straight," Gokudera said slowly, facing down the patient man who was trying to sell him a piece of merchandise that made no sense to Tsuna. "In the Grand Line, there are hundreds-"

"Thousands!" the merchant corrected.

"Fine, thousands of islands, each with their own magnetic field. Because of this, normal compasses go haywire and don't work."

"Precisely!"

"So this thing-"

"It's called a Log Pose."

"Right, so this _Log Pose_ can adjust to individual islands' magnetic fields and point you towards the next one."

"Yes, but every island will take a different amount of time to set and you must not take too long to follow it or it will change to a different island that could lead you backward instead of forward."

Gokudera stared at the little orb with a dangling compass head for a few moments before sighing and paying for it. "This bracelet had better work."

"It will, it will!" the man assured him happily. "Just remember that the weather is very fickle and can change in a moment's notice! If it stablises, it means you're close to an island. Each island has its own weather patterns but is usually occupied by just one season. And remember to always trust your Log Pose!"

"...I feel like we were just swindled," Gokudera muttered as he slid the bracelet on. "Anyone else think that it sounds like a load of bull?"

Tsuna and the gang stared blankly back at him.

"You guys have no idea what that conversation was about, do you?"

"Not a word!" replied Yamamoto cheerfully. "Gokudera must be really smart to have understood any of that."

The navigator flushed at the praise and immediately began yelling instructions at them to prepare for the journey to their first island in the Grand Line.

"You shouldn't tease Gokudera so much, you know," Tsuna murmured to the tall swordsman.

He received a blinding grin and an arm tossed over his shoulder in return. "But, Tsuna, that's half the fun!"

Really, his crew was weird.

* * *

"Land ho!" Lambo cried from the crow's nest. "It looks inhabited this time! I can see at least one town!"

"Thank goodness!" Chrome sighed as she put down the planks she was carrying.

"Sorry, Chrome. Were you getting tired?" asked Ryohei as he hammered another nail into a board.

"Oh, no, not at all," she smiled shyly. "I'm just glad that we'll be able to have a real shipwright look at our boat. These boards don't exactly look right."

"Yeah, those Marines really did a number on us," Tsuna sighed as he ran a hand over the broken railings.

"It was disappointing that our first island was an animal island," Yamamoto added as he handed out drinks to the hard-working crew, "but at least we got some treasure!"

"Most of it will be spent on fixing the ship, though," Gokudera replied as he lit a cigarette. "Any shipwright worth his salt will overcharge on labour, you know."

"But I need to refill our supplies! We're running out of food!" the cook answered worriedly.

"Relax, I'm sure there's enough beli to get both done," Tsuna assured them, hoping to avoid another argument between the two.

"We should draw lots to see who should guard the ship when we land," Lambo cut in, sticking his hand into his pocket and pulling out a bunch of coloured straws. "Who wants to go first?"

* * *

Reborn sighed tiredly as he rolled his shoulders to ease the tension gathered there. He had spent two weeks at sea following the Eternal Pose to what he now recalled as his least favourite beginner town. The Sky Lion must have terrible luck to have picked the worst route in all of the Grand Line to travel on for his first - and what would be his only - time.

He scanned the horizon for a Jolly Roger with a golden mane, the mark of the Sky Lions. When no such flag presented itself, he huffed in annoyance. Sure, he had an Eternal Log to get him here quickly, not to mention his Flame-powered boat was incredibly fast, but how could a bunch of seasoned seafarers take three weeks to get to their second island? It was deplorable, and reminded him that they were just brats. They didn't stand a chance in this sea.

He considered leaving the harbour for a drink at a bar, but then recalled that this was Kokuyo and was thus highly unlikely to have anything to offer that didn't taste like piss. Even the women turned him off, which said a lot.

His eyes alighted on a ship making its way to dock and he hummed thoughtfully around his recently-lit cigarette. So they at least had the smarts to take off their mark before entering the city. He smirked approvingly as he slipped into the shadows to follow his targets. It was a good thing Viper had provided a sketch and the name of the vessel, or he might have been fooled.

He watched as they moored and several of the crew members jumped ashore. He silently listed them off. First was Takeshi, tanned but tall and well-built, with two swords clanking at his side. Next was Lambo, his hair's short black waves fluttering over his pale, heart-shaped face. His slight build and lack of weapons gave little away, but it was obvious he lacked battle experience. The girl followed, thin to the point of malnutrition, though her healthy face implied a recovery. She had a metal glaive in her hand, though she clung to it like a lifeline. The boxer leapt out after her, and Reborn quickly could see the challenge. The man was built like a tank, and the quick three punches he threw upon landing spoke volumes for his training. Finally was "Smoking Bomb": Reborn had to admit, Gokudera Hayato was good-looking, regardless of sexual orientation. The silver hair, graceful poise and defined features coupled with his green eyes suited him well, but the overall image was deceitful. Out of all the crew, he seemed to be the only one who checked the surroundings, and the way his hand twitched towards the guns strapped to his waist suggested a rather rapid draw.

The Sky Lion's head popped up on the poop deck, but he made no effort to join the others. He couldn't hear the words exchanged, but from the waves and backward glances of concern from the departing crew, it seemed that Tsunayoshi would be staying behind.

Reborn considered capturing the tanned brunette while the others were away, but there were too many variables. Sure, he was probably stronger, but he didn't get the reputation as the best by being stupid. With such high bounties for rookies outside the Grand Line, they must have some tricks up their sleeves. He would follow them for a while until he could ascertain their fighting styles, then defeat them.

Besides, he was bored. Whatever small challenge these rookies afforded was better than nothing. Who knew when he would encounter such interesting characters again? Most of the strong fighters were in the New World, but he hadn't set foot there in years, though it was but a single island past his current abode.

* * *

Reborn was baffled. It wasn't an emotion he usually encountered, but today he felt like indulging. How could he not when faced with the... weirdness that was Sawada Tsunayoshi?

Either his crew was super strong and he had received a high bounty by association, or the Marines of West Blue had no idea how to give them. There was no other explanation for why the klutz he was observing could be valued at 250000 beli.

Over the past two hours, he had seen the Sky Lion trip over his own feet 58 times (he had kept count), smack into various parts of the ship 19 times, shriek annoyingly loud 33 times and drop random items at least 29 times. The bounty hunter couldn't believe that such clumsiness was possible, least of all in a pirate captain.

Perhaps it was charisma that drew his apparently strong comrades to him, or maybe even the helplessness he carried around him. He was cute enough, in a kicked puppy kind of way, for at least some of his crew to be interested. Fucking was what kept many a leader close to his nakama, after all.

Tsuna, oblivious to Reborn's scrutiny, sighed as he gazed over the harbour. He had the worst luck in the world in everything except his travelling companions. He always drew the short straw, to the point that his nakama tried to exclude him from it just to make it fairer. Of course, he refused on principle and now he was alone on the ship after chasing the rest of them to shore. He would just have to explore the island tomorrow then.

"That's a fine ship you have."

Tsuna yelled and fell backwards at the unexpected voice. He hurried back to the railing to find a darkly clothed stranger smirking up at him. "W-who are you?" Damn, he stuttered!

"Call me Mukuro," the bluenette replied smoothly. "Does it have a name?"

"What?"

"Does your ship have a name?" Mukuro asked again, annoyed at having to repeat himself.

"Umm, yeah. It's _Generation X_."

"...That's a pretty dumb name."

"H-hey! It's a nice name! Besides, it was a gift from a friend and that's what he named it."

"Kufufu. Let me guess: it was the tenth ship he built?"

Tsuna deflated at that. "...Yeah."

Reborn snorted quietly as he watched the captain interact with the stranger. Okay, there was friendliness and a complete disregard for caution, but no charm that he could see. Guess he really was screwing his crew, or letting them screw him. One could never be too sure these days.

The two men spoke a bit more before Mukuro turned to leave. "You should get to a shipwright soon. Your patching job leaves much to be desired."

"Do you have any recommendations?"

"Go to Dock 9 early tomorrow and look for the Estraneo Company's shipwrights. If you ask for the best while it's still early in the morning, they will ensure you get it."

"Thanks, Mukuro! It was nice meeting you!"

The bluenette waved at him over his shoulder and departed.

_'_He meets someone that suspicious and grins about it,' thought Reborn. The fact that he was still alive was definitely a testament to the luck of fools.

* * *

"It's way too early to be awake. The Great Lambo demands that everyone goes back to sleep."

"You can return to bed if you like, Lambo," Tsuna smiled tiredly as he bit into a muffin.

"Yeah, if you don't want any spending money," grinned their navigator viciously.

"And if you don't want breakfast!" added Yamamoto cheerfully.

"But the sun isn't even up yet!" Lambo whined loudly.

"Look, Mukuro said if we want the best, we need to go early," Tsuna tried to explain.

"That was suspicious to the extreme! Who is this Mukuro person anyway?"

"But the sun isn't even up yet!" Lambo tried again and was promptly smacked by Gokudera.

"The Estraneo are the best at everything they do and if Jyuudaime says we need to be there at sunrise, then we will follow!" he then glanced at Tsuna. "But the guy was suspicious, Jyuudaime."

"He didn't feel that way to me."

His crew immediately dropped the subject.

* * *

Reborn glared at _Generation X_ as it made its way down a canal. The medium-sized boat with a star-fish figurehead was making its way to Dock 5 of Kokuyo, in the white light of sunrise. It was way too fucking early for this shit. He was tempted to just attack the orange-sailed ship but quelled it with caution. He would save the frustration of having to shadow the Sky Lion crew at god-awful hours for another date - which would be soon.

He really needed caffeine.

* * *

"Wow, you guys are really early," the foreman blinked at the bleary-eyed sailors. "I don't blame you though. Mukuro is in high demand on the rare occasions he is in."

"Mukuro?" Tsuna gaped as a familiar blue head approached.

"Kufufufu. Did I forget to mention that I was the best Kokuyo has to offer?"

Tsuna had never in his life had such an intense desire to punch someone.

* * *

"No, you're not going to follow me around, Gokudera. And no, I want to spend a little time by myself, Lambo, so go get ice cream by yourself," Tsuna answered patiently over his nakama's requests. "We will meet at the bar for lunch. Until then, I don't want to see any of you."

He felt guilty when he saw their crestfallen faces, but he needed time away from them for the sake of his sanity. Giving them a last stern look and trying not to wince, he left. They were all free with the ship in for repairs, and the meagre spending they had left over (the Estraneo were expensive!) was shared equally among them. Tsuna intended to use his to its max, and wandered into the first quaint cafe he saw.

He quickly placed his order and pulled out his earlier purchase: a set of mystery novels. He loved the suspense and thrill of being far away from the atrocities committed to the page yet close enough to want to figure out who the culprit was. He never got it right, but it was fun to try.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

He glanced up from the fifth page and froze under the scrutiny of shadowed sable eyes. A suited male stood in front of him, wearing a fedora and a smirk. Curly sideburns bounced as he moved his head slightly, and other customers turned to see his well-built figure.

Shit, Tsuna was staring. And blushing. Why was this incredibly handsome guy asking to sit with him when there were girls all around practically drooling in their seats since he had entered?

"U-um," he stuttered ('Tell him no!'_),_ "sure. I'm not expecting anyone."

The man's smirk widened as he sat down, and Tsuna mentally cursed himself. He hated attention and now pretty much everyone was staring at the stranger and, by association, him! He tried to slide down in his seat and hide his face with his book.

"I'm Borner. And you?"

What the hell kind of name is Borner? Tsuna stared suspiciously over the top of the novel, but the interested gaze of the man made his face even redder. Why the hell was he gay again? 'Stupid hormones, calm the fuck down!' Yet no amount of internal venting could stop his attraction to the obviously lying 'Borner'.

He realised the man was waiting for his response and hastened to reply.

"Do you realise your name sounds like Boner?"

Okay, not his most intelligent move.

Reborn bit back a laugh as the pirate captain proved that he was a klutz even at social interactions. He smoothly answered, "Actually, no, I hadn't. Why, are you offering?"

"Am I offer-?" Tsuna's brain functioning promptly shut down. The gorgeous and frankly dangerous guy was making a pass at him. Him: Useless Tsuna!

Wow, he didn't know there was such a dark red out there. The poor idiot didn't even know how to flirt. Reborn decided not to take pity on him.

"You're quite forward, though, aren't you? Normally I would at least get the name of my bed partner before coming onto him."

Okay, Borner was definitely flirting with him. No doubt about it.

"You already told me your name," he pointed out, slowly lowering the book.

"Ah, yes, I did. However, the favour wasn't returned." So the Sky Lion could talk. This should be interesting.

"It's Ieyasu."

An actual believable-sounding lie. Reborn was impressed.

"So, what brings you to Kokuyo?"

"The ship that I'm on stopped to refill supplies and the like."

"So you're a seafarer. What type? Merchant? Marine? Pirate?" Reborn leaned forward slightly at the last.

"I'm a waiter aboard the Rockura. The pay sucks, but I get to travel easily." His shrug was casual as could be.

'Hmm, initial statement retracted. The boy was a good liar, when he wasn't embarrassed.' Reborn let himself be momentarily distracted by the waitresses placing their respective orders down. He thanked them and, turning back to his companion, quirked an eyebrow at his meal.

"That's quite an appetite you have there. Did I mistake your gender when I sat down?"

And the blush was back.

"Hey, sweets and pastries aren't just for girls!" Tsuna tried to defend the 18 plates of pink and other pastel coloured confections. "I just had a sweet craving!"

"What are you, pregnant? Now I'm definitely doubting your sex."

"S-shut up!" His cheeks darkened. "And my sex is pretty damn amazing, I'll have you know!"

"I was referring to your gender, but that's always nice to know," Reborn smirked before taking a sip of his espresso - glorious, delicious espresso. He closed his eyes in appreciation of the exquisite taste but opened them to find an even better thing to admire.

Apparently a Sawada Tsunayoshi sucking chocolate cream from a strawberry, completely oblivious to his surroundings, was enough to remind the hunter that he was bi not too long ago. The spark inside him was further fuelled by seeing the fruit plunge into the pink cavern of the brunette's mouth and the soft satisfied moan that followed.

Unaware of the gaze his unintentionally erotic display had attracted, Tsuna continued to devour the chocolate sponge cake, trying to savour each bite. Whenever the richness overcame him, he couldn't help but moan. As much as he adored his cook, Yamamoto was far from a pastry chef.

Recalling his present company, Tsuna allowed his eyes to flutter open and was ashamed to find Borner scrutinising him with narrowed eyes. Oh damn, had he just embarrassed himself? He should have offered the other some of his cake.

"Sorry, did you want to try some?" Tsuna forked up a sizeable piece of sticky orange cake with hazelnut cream and offered it to the man.

He wondered if Tsunayoshi was messing with him or if his seductive display earlier was innocent. Regardless, Reborn always gave as good as he got and this was no exception. Staring directly at the pirate, he grasped the outstretched hand and brought it to his lips. He slowly dragged his tongue against the underside of the fork without breaking his gaze before sliding the metal into his mouth and sucking to ensure that all of the confection had been removed.

Tsuna gaped as the silverware slipped free with a soft pop and Borner returned to his drink with a satisfied grin. _Shit, that was sexy_. If this shady character kept doing things like that, Tsuna doubted he would be able to maintain his caution. In other words, it was high time to get out of there.

"Excuse me," he signalled the waitress, "could I get these packed up? And could you have my total ready at the till? Thanks."

Reborn casually raised his eyebrow. "Leaving so soon? You just got here."

"I, uh, have somewhere to go to - urgently!"

"What a shame," the hunter drawled. "I was hoping to spend more time with you." He glanced up at his target. "Although I'd prefer somewhere more private. A hotel room perhaps?"

"Sorry," Tsuna hastily gathered his things, "but I don't like being picked up by weird strangers with funny-sounding names. Enjoy your day, Mr Borner."

He hurriedly scuttled away, leaving a smirking Reborn in his wake. How strange that the Sky Lion showed caution towards him for being friendly while disregarding the bluenette from before. Then again, he was the more dangerous of the two.

He eyed the young captain leaving the store, ignoring the flirtatious glances thrown his way from the surrounding patrons. He was now 80% certain that Tsunayoshi was sleeping with his crew. The boy was more sensual than Reborn had initially accredited him.

He was also 100% certain that he needed to get laid. To be turned on by nineteen-year-old with barely enough charm to fill a teaspoon was shameful, even more so when your name was Reborn: the world's number one lover and bounty hunter.

* * *

The R27 is strong with this one ;)


	3. The Plot Thickens

I don't know if this will be regularly updated but I'm not abandoning it! I'm just in the middle of final exams, so sorry guys! Thanks again for all the reviews, favourites and follows! You guys are SUPER! *insert Franky doing the pose here* If any of you guys got double responses from me, I'm so sorry. Blame it on the lack of sleep.

* * *

Please note: there will be no Chikusa or Ken in this fic, at least not in the immediate future. I really don't see them playing any major role in this or any other arc.

World Nobles are families said to be descended from the creators of the world. They are highly privileged, can get away with just about anything and are defended by the Marines. In One Piece, touching them is considered a huge offence and they wear what looks like astronaut outfits so they won't be contaminated by normal people.

Disclaimer: Maybe I can finally say I own some of the plot now… maybe.

* * *

Chapter Three: The Plot Thickens

* * *

"What do you mean he's not here?"

"Are you deaf, blind or just stupid? Mukuro-sama is not here!"

"Well, where the hell is he?" Gokudera snapped, slamming his hands down on the foreman's desk.

"That's Estraneo family business. It's no concern of yours."

"Listen, buddy," Gokudera grabbed the man by his collar and pulled him closer, "that bastard is in charge of fixing my captain's ship. I paid good money, and a shitload of it too, so when I want to know why my shipwright isn't doing his fucking job, you tell me. Now, where the hell is Mukuro?"

To his credit, the worker was barely fazed. This wasn't the first time he'd been threatened and it surely wouldn't be the last. "If you wanted your ship fixed immediately, you should have asked someone else to do it."

"That bastard is supposed to be the best!"

"He is, but he takes his time. He's the son of the company's head, so he can do whatever the hell he wants."

Gokudera cursed out loud but released his victim, knowing his beloved captain would be \ disappointed if he took out his anger on innocent bystanders. How dare that damned pineapple-head neglect his work after he promised Jyuudaime to do his best? Granted, Mukuro had never said as much, but it was a given whenever anyone did work for his captain! To do otherwise would be blasphemy! And blasphemers should have their guts stuffed with dynamite and blown sky high.

"Dera?"

A cheerful voice disrupted his happy musings involving the colourful deaths he would bring down on everyone who disrespected the Sky Lion. Normally he would be all too happy to ignore that baritone, but Yamamoto had said the magic word.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that, you fucker?" Gokudera yelled.

"Haha, sorry Dera!"

"You piece of -!"

"Tsuna wanted to have supper together. Are you coming?" Yamamoto smiled at his shipmate, who glared at him but subsided in his complaints.

"Why did you come to get me? I'd find my way there eventually," responded Gokudera as they walked out of the (fucking useless) shipyard.

"Well, we might be missing Lambo..."

Gokudera sighed. Sometimes he hated the fact that he had a strange ability to ferret out lost members of the crew. Between Lambo who had no sense of direction, Ryohei who ended up in jail more often than not and his unlucky captain (who was perfect just as he was), he had used this ability far too much. That was without even factoring in Chrome, who looked so hapless that they'd be sure to be beating away perverts by the boatload on every island.

"Cheer up, Dera! At least you don't have to worry about me!"

Yamamoto's statement was so true, it made him depressed. There was something seriously wrong with the world when the bane of his existence was the only person he could really rely on to be safe.

* * *

Tsuna wandered the streets of Kokuyo on the way to the shipyard. He waved cheerfully at those who glanced at him and while a few returned the gesture, most gave him a blank stare. He hated that look; he'd prefer to be ignored than to see people unable to even form a response to a different presence. It reminded him too much of the Hellora Institute, where innocents had been put through so much pain that they had become vegetables in white gowns. To think Chrome had come so close to that line - no, he refused to dwell on it.

Shaking his head in the hopes of removing his depressing thoughts, Tsuna turned his attention back to the job at hand. It had been three days since they had handed over _Generation X_ to the Estraneo, and they had yet to hear from them. Gokudera was ready to unleash a storm on the company if Mukuro didn't show up soon, so today Tsuna had offered to go instead.

He wished he knew if this was a normal situation, but his knowledge of boats ended with 'they floated'. He wasn't even sure why they floated - surface tension maybe? He knew that you could row a boat and that you used the sail to catch the wind, but ask him to do either one without help and you'd end up at the bottom of the ocean. Don't wonder how - Tsuna could do it. He made the impossible possible as long as the impossible was as unlucky as can be.

"You should stop thinking before you hurt yourself."

Tsuna glanced up at the unfamiliar voice and met the amused gaze of Boner - err, Borner.

"C-can I help you?" Tsuna stuttered, grimacing internally at the tripping words.

"Have you changed your policy on sleeping with strangers?"

"Have you changed your name?"

"If my last name bothers you that much, feel free to use my first. It's Erecton."

Tsuna didn't know whether to laugh or bang his head against the wall. Why did he always attract the weirdoes? First there was that white-haired guy who tried to force feed him marshmallows after ripping a guy's eye out (pretty sure he was psychopathic), that clumsy blonde guy with the whip who wanted him to be his little brother (waaaay too kinky), that boy who wanted to be a different animal every five minutes and now this suit whose fake name sounded like Erection Boner.

He should become an okama. At least then he'd know what to expect from potential partners.

"Why are you stalking me?" he finally asked plaintively.

"If I was stalking you, you wouldn't see me," Borner replied and it scared Tsuna how real that seemed. "I was just on my way to the Estraneo Mansion when I saw you sulking here."

"I was not-"

"The real question is: what are you doing here?"

"On my way to the shipyard."

"The Rockura is damaged?"

Reborn inwardly smirked at the slip-up. The famous cruise boat was docked in the harbour where everyone could see it.

"Huh? Oh no, I just wanted to see the other ships. The Rockura is amazing but it's a bit lavish for my taste."

The Sky Lion was in top lying form, it seemed. Pity.

"There's an Estraneo mansion?" Tsuna asked casually.

"Of course: the Estraneo are World Nobles. They own this entire island, actually."

Tsuna didn't reply as he turned at the fork of the road. He waved briefly at the man before speeding away. He didn't want trouble and Borner practically smelled of it.

Reborn dismissed the pirate's rude departure, focusing on his target for the day. He was bored of staking out the newbies: today he would make his first move.

* * *

Mukuro picked out his tools carefully, idly taking note of the presence below as he calculated how much of the deck could be salvaged. The patchwork of quick-fixes all over the ship were atrocious and were currently doing more harm than good.

He was going to need a lot more wood.

"You can come aboard, Sky Lion. This is your ship, after all," he acknowledged his patron as he signalled for more supplies.

"So you knew who we were?" Tsuna asked as he made his way to his ship. "You don't mind working for pirates?"

"Our company would go out of business if we did," Mukuro replied absently, his gaze focused on the task in front of him. "Pirates make up the bulk of seafarers in the Grand Line after all."

"So, where have you been?"

"I didn't realise I answered to you. Just because I'm doing work for you doesn't mean you own all of my time."

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that," Tsuna hastily apologised. "I was just worried."

"Kufufu, I assure you that my wellbeing is of no concern to you. Your ship will be fixed soon enough, although the damage is quite extensive."

"Well, if you're doing work for me, I will worry," Tsuna responded as he climbed over the railings.

"How droll: a pirate who cares. The Grand Line devours people like you," Mukuro stated as he began ripping off some of the planks covering the holes in the woodwork.

"There's nothing wrong with trying to be nice."

"Kufufu, you're a pirate. You can't be nice while you pillage and steal."

"I'll have you know that my crew has never done such things," Tsuna sputtered indignantly.

"Really? Then how did you get the bounties you have?"

"The marines gave it to us after Hellora. We didn't ask for them."

Mukuro froze. "You were there when Hellora attacked?"

"Yeah," Tsuna replied, carefully observing the other's stiff posture. "Are you alright?"

Mukuro finally turned to face the captain. "Are any of your crew members escapees from the island?"

"That's none – what happened to your eye?" Tsuna stared at the large bandage covering half of the shipwright's face, his gaze picking out the red-edged tips of gauze sticking out of Mukuro's shirt.

Mukuro's visible eye hardened. "Like I said, save your concern, little pirate. And answer the question."

"Why?"

"Because it could be very important – remove your hand before I do it for you," Mukuro snarled as Tsuna suddenly cupped his chin.

"Feel free to try," Tsuna said calmly as he examined the wounds closely. "This didn't come from a fight. They look professionally done."

Mukuro slammed his wrench into the pirate's face, sending him staggering back. "I am a World Noble: you could be hanged for that."

"Who did that to you? You look like one of the experiments from Hellora!"

"Stay out of my business," Mukuro said coldly. "Your ship will be ready to leave by tomorrow. Now get lost."

"Mukuro –"

"Leave."

* * *

"That bastard dared to lay his hands on you? I'll fucking murder him!" Gokudera yelled, his face turning red.

"Silly Tsuna, you shouldn't have gone without the Great Lambo for protection."

"C-Captain, I can't find Ryohei anywhere," Chrome whispered as she entered their motel room.

"He's missing?" Tsuna asked worriedly, turning his head away from Yamamoto who was offering him a poultice for his bruised (and slightly bleeding) eye.

"Again? That bastard got into jail for another fight, didn't he? How many goddamned times must I tell him that we can't keep affording bail?!"

"Gokudera, calm down, please," Tsuna said, standing up.

"Sorry, Jyuudaime," Gokudera began apologising profusely, which made Tsuna uncomfortable but experience had taught him to let it happen. Interrupting only made his navigator start praising him and that was worse.

"Where have you checked already, Chrome?" Tsuna asked her kindly.

The girl glanced at the floor as she answered, "The gyms, the bars, at least three restaurants, the prison, the medical supplies store and the beach. The people at the second gym said that he had been there in the morning but no one has seen him since."

"Thank you, Chrome," he smiled before turning to the navigator again. "Gokudera, can you take Lambo and see if you can find him with that ability of yours?"

"Do I have to take the cow with me?"

"Like I want to be near you, stupid Gokudera."

"Listen, brat –!"

"I have a bad feeling about this," Tsuna interrupted and the crew immediately fell silent. They had learnt not to ignore Tsuna's instincts, which were never wrong. "Ever since we came here, I've had a bad feeling, but so far I chalked it up to the Estraneo being World Nobles. I'm starting to doubt that. Something is wrong here: with this island, with Ryohei and even with Mukuro."

"What does Mukuro have to do with anything?" Yamamoto asked seriously.

"Do you think he hurt Ryohei-nii?" Lambo added, his eyes flashing angrily.

"No, I think someone has been hurting him – and I don't like it."

No one pointed out that the shipwright wasn't there responsibility. Their captain was the type to care about everyone and they had accepted it.

"From now on, no one walks around alone. We're going to keep everything valuable on ourselves, just in case someone raids our rooms. Chrome, you stick close to Yamamoto at all times, okay? And cover your face – Mukuro wanted to know if we had any escapees with us, and I don't know why. So let's just be safe, okay?"

His crew agreed and swiftly set about fulfilling their tasks. Chrome and Yamamoto were going to transport their food to the ship before finding a new place close to the yard to stay. They had to get the ship back on the sea first thing in the morning. Gokudera and Lambo were to look for Ryohei and try to find out more about the island. Tsuna would do the same, but alone. Luckily, people tended to underestimate him so he should be fine. Or so they hoped.

* * *

There was a time when Tsuna hated the odd ringing in his head. He had had them for as long as he could remember and never would he have thought he would one day be grateful to it. It had, after all, caused him to be deemed a klutz every time he dropped something or fell over because the ringing would begin. Of course, after he got these sensations, bad things would happen – like the time that his mother… no, best not think about that.

He would rather think about how grateful he was for the ringing now. It had led him to his crew, to his dream and even though the ringing had changed into whole sets of sensations, he welcomed them. It was how he had found this bar, bought this drink and got the undercover reporter drunk enough to start talking.

"You're a sharp one, you know," the journalist slurred as she downed another glass of wine. "Most people never figure out that I'm actually a girl underneath my disguise. Name's MM, by the way. What did you wanna know again?"

"Tell me about Kokuyo and the people who run it."

"Pssh, everyone knows who owns it. The Estraneo family, of course! Terrible people, them. Nobody likes them. But, y'know, that son of theirs is different. Really, really hot, if you know what I mean. Dangerous, definitely, but so fuckin' sexy."

"Are you talking about Mukuro?" Tsuna asked, pouring some more wine for MM.

"Course 'm talking about Mukuro! *hic* You see that face? Hear that voice? If it wasn't for all the freaky shit 'bout his family, I'd totally jump that."

"Freaky?"

"Yeah! Who would wanna bed a science expeririment? I tell you, World Nobles have no shame. Where I come from, you wanna do shit to other people, it's okay but family is no-no. These Nobles on the other hand – no shame."

Tsuna inwardly filed that away, while giving the cross dresser an innocent smile. "Tell me more."

By the time he left the bar, three hours later and without a beli to his name, Tsuna was shaking with rage. He had never been accused of having a hero complex, but he sure felt like he did right now. All he needed to do was find Ryohei, and then this island would burn.

* * *

Last minute notes: Thanks to MisanthropicGoddess, ShizuBABE and rima10011 for being constant reviewers! You guys are awesome. And to hikaru, I tried to find your profile on ffnet but couldn't so thanks for the review and for the comment. I thought Reborn's alias was funny too xD

Guys, please consider entering the KHR Secret Santa from the **"KHR Roleplay canon characters only" **community. Just type this in your address bar after ffnet: _topic/117464/123021117/1/KHR-Secret-Santa-2014_ to check it out. It's so much fun and really good fics come from it. Some of the best KHR writers participate as well!


	4. Vanishing Comrades

Do you know what's the best way to recover from a traumatising final exam? Reading reviews! Thanks for all the reviews, favourites and follows! Special shout-out to rima10011, MisanthropicGoddess and ShizuBABE for reviewing constantly xD Thanks for the guest reviews as well. Have you guys signed up for the KHR Secret Santa event? I put a link on my profile as well! It's worth joining and you don't have to be a member of the community to participate! It's not even especially pairing related – many of the requests are gen or family fluff :)

Disclaimer: Yes, this plot is mine! Finally! Nothing else is, sadly.

* * *

Chapter 4: Vanishing Comrades

* * *

"Oi, Bakadera, are you sure this is the way?"

"Dammit, cow, I'm trying to concentrate here!" snapped Gokudera, running his hand through his hair in frustration. He could feel Ryohei's presence, as close as if it were a flame warming his skin, but hours of searching had brought him no closer to the elusive doctor.'Maybe it's not one of the ships in the harbour,' he thought, 'but one anchored on the sea.'

"Maybe Ryohei-nii is on a date," Lambo remarked, sticking his hands in his pockets. "And by date, I mean having sex."

"I did not need that mental image," Gokudera glared at the bomber, but it was a lacklustre attempt. The sky was beginning to lighten with dawn and with each passing moment, his anxiety grew while his body tired. "Turf-head wouldn't take off without telling us first. He knows how Jyuudaime worries."

There was blissful silence as they checked out a few more ships and abandoned warehouses, but the younger pirate soon grew bored.

"Why do you call Tsuna-nii that anyway? He's not the tenth of anything."

Gokudera sighed. This was not the first time Lambo had asked him that and frankly, he was getting tired of it. Maybe if he told the truth, the bomber would leave him alone for a bit. Maybe even learn such much needed caution. The world was not kind to people like Lambo, and despite his dislike for the younger, Gokudera truly did want him to survive.

It took a few moments of contemplation, before he finally replied. "He was meant to be my tenth kill."

Lambo froze in shock, but eventually his temper won out. "YOU WERE GOING TO MURDER TSUNA-NII?!"

"Yeah, I was. But I didn't and I won't ever try to again."

"But, why? And why the hell do you still call him that?" Lambo could not believe that someone like Gokudera, who underneath his flaws was one of the nicest people he had ever met, could commit cold-hearted murder.

"Tch, it's a reminder of my mistake, okay? When I have atoned for the nine people I killed before him, then I can start calling the captain by his name," Gokudera growled, before abruptly stopping before a modest sailing craft. It was partly dismantled and sat idly between some fishing trawlers, but the sight of it stirred a memory from long ago.

"But why did you try to kill Tsuna-nii?"

"Would you shut up for a second?"

The silverette frowned, trying desperately to recall where he had seen such a boat before. 'This is important, I know it! Maybe Ryohei is being kept here? Is that what this feeling is? That cabin could hold several prisoners in it, to be honest.'

"Hayato-nii…"

Gokudera froze. Lambo hated referring to him as a brother, and avoided using his first name like a plague. He had only heard that moniker once before. It hadn't ended well.

Casually running his hand down his side to check his ammo, he scoffed without turning, "What is it, Lambo?"

"Chaos," a smooth voice replied. "You should have been more cautious, Smoking Bomb."

His lighter swiftly ignited a handful of dynamite as he whirled to face the hidden attacker, but all he saw was Lambo: Tsuna's precious pseudo-brother who Gokudera had sworn to protect in his captain's place. Lambo, the idiot bomber with bad aim, who was falling to the floor as blood soaked through his cow-patterned shirt.

He vaguely noticed the bullets entering his body, but couldn't tear his eyes away from his charge. This was twice that he had failed Tsuna.

He welcomed the black oblivion.

* * *

"Umm, Yamamoto-kun, d-do you think we're allowed to be here?"

"It's a shipyard, Chrome! They're always open!"

"I don't think so," Chrome mumbled as she followed the chef through the hulking shadows towards their boat. Lanterns burned in some corners as the common workers tried to finish their labour before dawn brought their masters, but for the most part the yard was deserted.

"What a terrible atmosphere, right, Chrome?" Yamamoto cheerfully remarked, shifting the bag on his shoulder into a more comfortable position. "You think Mukuro finished the repairs?"

"I hope so," she solemnly answered. "Captain wants us on the sea by eight, right?"

"Yep, but we still gotta dump these bags beforehand. Maybe we can even sleep on the ship, if Mukuro doesn't mind."

When he didn't get a response from his quiet companion, he soldiered on enthusiastically, trying to distract her from the unpleasant air surrounding them. "You know, I've thought this before, but doesn't the symbol of the Estraneo Company look like the squiggly thing that was on the flags in Hellora? I remember because the guy I had to fight kept waving one around like _fwa fwa_ and every time I tried to cut it, he just went _gnish_ with this weird weapon of his and then Lambo came bursting in all _badoom_ and I—!"

He barely managed to dodge the knife. As it was, it still nicked his skin but he paid it no mind as he drew his sword. _'_Sorry guys_,'_ he thought as he threw down the luggage he was holding, his eyes scanning his surroundings for a hint of the attackers' whereabouts. Chrome was nowhere to be seen.

There was a soft clink from behind him, and instincts honed from years of practice led him to attack. Cloth flittered past his vision. A shadow moved on his left and his sword struck again. This time it was a complete miss, but he had managed to push his attacker into the light. One of the yard's spotlights fell onto the spiky mass of blue and, though Yamamoto had only met him once, he never forgot a face.

"Mukuro?"

The bluenette grinned wickedly before conjuring a trident from nothing.

"What the hell?" Yamamoto gasped before dodging several sweeping strokes that would have easily taken his head. _What just happened? _

It was physically impossible to make something out of nothing – Gokudera had said so! Well, it wouldn't be the first time the temperamental navigator was wrong.

Tired of avoiding the strikes, he brought his blade to meet his opponent's, only for the trident to _phase right through it. _In his shock, he didn't move out the way in time and blood poured from a gaping wound in his shoulder.

'Shit,' he thought as his grip weakened. 'I should have paid more attention to Gokudera's UMA lectures!'

* * *

Tsuna felt like curling up into a ball and falling into the darkest hole to Neverland. Maybe then the pain would stop. It was as if a thousand crows were slamming into his forehead, scawbing an indecipherable message. He could barely hold back his tears as the feeling of wrongness grew stronger. He needed to go, to do something but he didn't know what! All he could do was stand on the edge of the pier and wait for _Generation X_ to show up.

As the last minutes of the seventh hour faded, he searched for the familiar billowing sails but the horizon remained stubbornly devoid of pirate ships, and none of his crew members had joined him yet.

He felt another stab of mental agony but this time he realized what it was highlighting. Since his crew cared too much to be late for such a meeting, Tsuna had to conclude that something had gotten to them first.

There was a brief reprieve from his internal warning system, but now Tsuna wanted it to return immediately. He couldn't attack the Estraneo alone, but what if they were the ones who had taken his friends? He wasn't like Gokudera, who could track anyone down if he set his mind to it, nor could his Intuition help him much in cases like these. It had only led him to people who could help, but not to the people he wanted specifically.

Well, anything is better than nothing, right?

Biting his lip as he prayed for his crew to be safe, he turned his back to the sea and re-entered the darkened town.

His feet moved on their own accord through the streets as his head buzzed with thousands of thoughts. He was so out of it he nearly missed the tingling that signaled he was being pursued. He stumbled at the realization, but that was not unusual enough to alert his followers.

'There's three of them and they are trying to lead me somewhere specific. An ambush?'

He casually stopped to lean against a building as if to catch his breath. Noticing it was the café he has visited the first day he was here, he considered entering it but realized he was out of cash. Damn, now he had to face these guys.

"Well, if it isn't Ieyasu the waiter."

Tsuna's eyes widened as he recognized his latest weird stalker. 'Not one of the pursuers though.'

"Oh, Borner!" he exclaimed quickly, pulling away from the wall. "What brings you here?"

"Breakfast," the handsome man replied, taking note of the other's bedraggled state. "Would you like to join me? You look like you need it."

_'_Wow, he is still trying to pick me up,' Tsuna thought, smiling slightly. For all that his mental abilities cringed away from Borner, he couldn't help but be interested in him. Well, Tsuna never claimed to be good at self-preservation anyway.

"It's on me, if you're worried about the money," Reborn smirked, gesturing for the other to enter the open door. He was not going to let his prey be taken by others, after all. Besides, the boy would hardly be a threat in his current state, and Reborn wanted a challenge.

Thanking the stranger, Tsuna let himself be pulled into a date. It was only because it got him away from his pursuers, he told himself, and had nothing to do with Borner's attractiveness.

"So, I think a date counts as more than enough reason to sleep with someone," Reborn said after they had placed their orders.

"You never give up, do you?" Tsuna replied, smiling in amusement.

"They say third time's the charm."

"How did your visit to the Mansion go?" Tsuna asked, avoiding the unimportant issue. If his breakfast partner had connections to the Estraneo, Tsuna would definitely use it, even if it meant pretending to give in to the other's desires.

_'_Fishing for information already: not bad, although his subtlety leaves much to be desired,_'_ Reborn noted before responding. "It was hardly a visit. I merely wished to see for myself the monstrosity that World Nobles call their homes."

"That bad?" Tsuna winced, remembering the few opulent houses he has seen on Hellora.

"Indeed."

"Still, there must have been tons of guards around. I doubt you would have seen much."

"I saw enough," Reborn replied simply. If the boy wanted information, he would have to work for it.

Their blushing waitress returned, bringing with her their drinks. While the Sky Lion thanked her, Reborn noticed the blue-haired male that entered the shop. 'What was Rokudo Mukuro doing here?'

He raised his espresso to his lips, but paused before its consumption. A sweet aroma was disrupting the usual rich scent. He glanced at his companion who was about to try his strawberry smoothie, waving amiably at the departing waitress.

Oh well, a dead pirate was worth the same as a living one.

"Why the interest in the mansion?" Reborn asked, stirring some sugar (he inwardly flinched at the blasphemy) into his drink.

"Hmm?" Tsuna blinked at him, pausing just before his lips met the straw. "Oh, I'm just curious. I've heard all kinds of crazy stories about it."

"Such as?"

"Children disappearing, hauntings, the usual creepy mansion stuff," Tsuna waved his hand around as he spoke. "I'm a huge mystery fan so I was hoping to get some confirmation of it."

"Sorry to disappoint," Borner tilted his head towards him, before raising his cup in a pretence of drinking. It always unnerved amateurs when their plans failed seemingly without reason.

However, the Sky Lion stopped his hand before he could complete the action.

"Don't drink it," Tsuna said, his eyes glinting strangely. "There's something off about it."

Well, it seemed the captain was not useless after all. He faked surprise at the revelation. "Do you think it's been poisoned?" he asked seriously.

"Probably," Tsuna grimaced. "I'm sorry! It's probably all my fault. There seems to be people stalking me, and apparently they want to kill me. I didn't think they would drag in innocent bystanders."

Reborn's eyebrow raised as the pirate stood to leave. "Surely you're not going to go after them by yourself," he cautioned incredulously.

"If they had just kept their focus on me, no," Tsuna told him, "but now that they've involved you, I can't stand idly by. Thanks for the kind offer and sorry for the trouble."

Reborn was dumbfounded as the boy dashed out the café. He almost felt touched by the idiot's protective nature. His main emotion, however, was annoyance. Now he had to track Tsunayoshi down and prevent him from being taken by whoever else was after him.

The things he did for a bounty.

* * *

Elsewhere, a boy bit back a scream as his body was attacked by vipers. Spiders crawled over his face and a scorpion pierced his ear. Blood ran freely down his face as he struggled to free himself.

He distantly heard someone say, "It's not real. Fight it!"

He scoffed. What did that imbecile know? What did any of them know about reality and illusions, about the pain he endured, about the powerlessness that he felt in this world? Not real – what a lie! They wanted power but did not even know what was needed to get it. How he hated them.

He felt claws dig into his right eye and this time he did scream. His eyeball was ripped from his skull as a whole line of slugs entered his open mouth. Fire ants moved towards his nostrils and suddenly he was suffocating.

No, no, no, this couldn't be how he died! He had never even seen the world yet! He still was not strong enough; he still needed to see his parents!

Fire coursed through him as he cried for the life he had yet to live.


	5. Determination vs Skill

**Hi guys! University is finally done for the year, so hopefully I'll be able to give this story the love it deserves. Thanks for the reviews, follows, favourites and well wishes! As you may have noticed, I SUCK at action scenes. This is an area I fully intend to improve on, seeing as this fic has a lot of action coming its way. I know the last chapter wasn't paced very well, but hopefully this one makes up for it!**

* * *

**Thanks to rima10011, Natsu Yuuki, Frost190 and ShizuBABE for reviewing constantly!**

**Please note: This is an AU. This means the only thing I will stick to zealously will be characterization.**

**_Italics_ = memories/the voices inside Reborn's head. **

**'word' = thoughts**

**Disclaimer: I sent Santa a wish list, and owning KHR is at the top. Until then, I don't own anything other than my terribly limited imagination.**

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Chapter 5: Determination vs Skill

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Tsuna barely made it to a deserted patch of grassland when they struck. Only two attackers faced him directly, if on opposite sides. The third had either departed, was lying in wait or intended to attack from afar. He had to avoid calling onto his sixth sense, lest it distract him from the fight.

His pursuers were wearing nondescript clothing, but their weapons were top class, to which the blood dripping down his forehead could attribute. One had a gun cocked at him with another resting on his thigh, while the other wielded a morning star flail with deadly accuracy. Both were utterly still, as if in a Mexican standoff. Tsuna always hated Western films.

His muscles bunched as he leaped at the flail-wielder, who he perceived as the greater threat. Bullets could be dodged but a swift blow from a ball of steel that large was all it took to die. His first punch missed but he followed through with a series of rapid strikes, using his knuckledustered fists to find any weakness in his opponent's physicality.

He ducked underneath the heavy weapon, ignoring the half-hearted shots from across the field. Soon the gunman would close in for a close-quarter battle, but Tsuna intended to fight only one opponent at a time. Using his small stature to his advantage, he slid his leg through the man's wide stance, kicking up at the last minute to hit the other in the groin while using his hands to deflect the ball from his limbs. He never claimed to be a clean fighter, considering he only fought in self-defence.

The man cried out wordlessly from the pain (Tsuna did not hold back against those who brought innocents into a fight) but Tsuna gave him no quarter. Instead, he kneed him hard in the stomach, before spinning the disorientated male around and kicking his back hard enough to dislocate a spine. The man crumpled, giving the pirate a few seconds to wipe away the metallic blood that was blinding his one eye.

The momentary respite did not last long, as the bullets began flying again. He could deal with them though, as he used his flexible body to move through the bursts of gunfire to close in rapidly with the panicking marksman. He went low, trying to sweep the other's legs, but the kick was easily avoided. Not wasting any time, he pivoted on the sweeping foot and lashed out with the other. When his opponent dodged the wide strike, he followed through with an uppercut but was blocked by a gun pointed straight as his face. Grabbing the outstretched arm, he slipped underneath it and flipped the unsuspecting man onto his back.

Tsuna was shocked that it had actually worked.

Nevertheless, he pressed his advantage by snapping the man's wrist, followed by dislocating the alternate shoulder. He snatched the man's guns away, and leaped away just in time to avoid the trident that would have gored his ribs had he been still. Attacker number three had just been found, but it was…

"Mukuro?" Tsuna stuttered, shocked. Why was the shipwright attacking him? It went against everything that he had previously noted about the man.

Mukuro avoided a response by bringing his weapon down into short, powerful strikes that came far too close to causing serious bodily harm for Tsuna to continue talking. Nevertheless, he tried to examine the other while retreating from the blows. Something seemed off – where was the bloody eye patch and gauze-covered body he remembered?

Even his weapon was strange. It moved quickly but silently through the air – where was the whistling nose that usually accompanied such slices through the air? Mukuro's stance seemed off as well: Tsuna recalled the almost silent step Mukuro had favoured since they met and compared it to the heavy movements of his opponent, who raised dust whenever he moved. When he met the man's mismatching gaze, he only saw a lack of the intensity of colour that had originally made them stand out so much.

Taking his eyes away from the trident was a mistake. In that short moment, it found a home in his chest, drawing a splash of scarlet that painted the air in its rich hue. Tsuna gasped, clutching his dampening shirt as he fell to his knees. The rush of pain as his blood escaped was intense, so intense that he could not move a finger to escape.

'How strange._'_ He had taken wounds like this so easily before, never succumbing to pain since that day in that alley with his mother. Even that time, he remembered the wound being deeper, coming closer to his precious arteries than this. So why was he slumping over as if he was still a greenhorn to pain?

"I do believe you killed him. I am rather disappointed at how easy it was."

A smoky voice broke through the waves of agony wracking him, and Tsuna instinctively grasped at its familiarity.

"Chaos. I hope you don't mind if I take his head? I need it to collect his bounty."

'Is that… Borner?'

"Your tricks won't work on me. Step aside."

His vision swam but he could see a blurry outline of two figures, one with a trident and the other with a gun. The gunslinger spoke again and Tsuna confirmed that it really was Borner.

"I just want the head. You can keep the body."

Betrayal rocked Tsuna's core, bringing him out of his stupor, though his body remained out of commission.

"If you play nice, I'll give you the bodies of the other two as well."

'Other two? Did Borner mean…?'

"I really don't care if you're collecting the Sky Lion crew, but I do care about their bounties."

His crew… Borner - no, t**he bounty hunter** had his crew!

Reborn sighed when the bluenette bared his teeth. He hated dealing with mindless underlings. He readied his gun for the inevitably stupid attack, eyes narrowing to note the other's shift in stance. The silly trident snapped towards him, but vanished a second later. In its place stood a ferocious lion.

Amber eyes flashed as Tsuna snarled at the man who had harmed his crew. He did not notice the crumpled form beneath his feet, nor the missing wound that had previously incapacitated him. He paid no attention the way his normally fluffy hair had become sharper in detail, and gained edges, nor did he perceive the waves of energy suddenly pulsing around him. All he knew was that his body was light, his ire fresh and the world was in a brighter clarity than he had ever experienced before.

Reborn did notice, on the other hand. Senses that had lain dormant for years were evoked in a bittersweet rush, seeking out the pirate captain and slamming Reborn with _truthtruthdonotdenymethisrequestReborntruth._

Sawada Tsunayoshi was a Sky.

Tsuna was not so distracted though. He slammed his body into the traitor and sent them both flying backwards. The moment they hit the ground, he began to pummel the other, taking a vicious pleasure in exacting retribution. He did not make it past the third thump before he was kicked away but there was no ache from the hit, only an increase in the desire to make him pay.

Tsuna battled with an earnestness he normally condemned in his crew, who had always been far too happy to be violent for his taste. Salt mixed with the blood from his slowly clotting head wound as sweat broke out over his body, but he paid it no mind as he pushed himself beyond his limits. He was a creature of instincts now, honed only by this sudden onslaught of rage.

Reborn was far from that edge though. While the inexperienced lion tried to club him into submission, he put years of training to use and found the other lacking. Sure, Tsunayoshi had become faster than he had been when fighting the Estraneo henchmen, and the earth pulverised every time Reborn avoided an attack was a testament to the pirate's increased strength as well. Yet there was no finesse to his moves, which were easy to predict. Once he had gotten over his shock, the battle became ridiculously one-sided. Add to that the exhaustive nature of unchannelled Flames, and this would be over soon.

As if by divine agreement, Tsuna began to slow down. His clothes became heavy with sweat and stuck to his limbs, and after a few more ragged attempts at fighting, he tripped over his feet. Fatigue hung so heavy over him that he could not even pull himself out of his sprawled state.

'No, no, no, no!_'_ He had to move; he had to fight! If he did not, then he would lose everyone. He could not take going through that failure again. 'Stupid body, move!'

With the Sky Lion out of commission, Reborn took a moment to gather his thoughts. While his blood was still pumping from the adrenaline rush that came from finding another Sky, his mind was conflicted. He had already committed himself to taking in the Sky Lion Crew ('oh hell, it had been right there since the beginning! Stupid marines and their monikers – don't they know how fucking misleading they are?') but on the other hand…

_...If this is the path you wish to follow, promise me you will never give a Sky to the Marines…_

Fuck. Her words were as binding as ever.

Reborn glared at the source of his conundrum, but was startled out of his turmoil when he realised that the idiot was getting up. How the hell…?

"Don't be stupid. You can't fight me in that state," he hissed at the pirate captain.

The Lion ignored him, as he slowly forced himself onto his knees. "I – refuse – to –" he gasped, his voice ragged, "lose – to – someone – like – you!"

A sharp kick to the ribs was all it took to reduce him back to a ball on the ground. Reborn rested his foot on the small of Tsunayoshi's back, just in case he tried to get up again.

"Your Flames are going to kill you at this rate," he told the boy darkly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tsuna half-growled, "but I am not going to sit here and let you kill me."

"Don't be reckless."

"Just watch me!"

Tsuna's hands dug into the ground, ripping fleshy strands of grass free as he desperately tried to move again. The bounty hunter's foot pressed against him a bit more, but he ignored it. He just needed a bit more motivation – he could do this! He could defeat Borner, if he could just move!

"Hate to break it to you, kid, but I am way more experienced than you at this. Even if you could move, your chances of defeating me don't even exist. Now, stay still and let me think!"

"Did you kill them?" asked Tsuna in a small voice, momentarily ceasing his struggles. "My crew mates… you said you had some of them?"

"The Smoking Bomb and Grenade Boy," Reborn replied. "I prefer taking my targets in alive."

Tsuna felt relief, but also the hot prickling of anger. "Lambo isn't even sixteen-!"

"You brought him into this life, not me. I'm just doing my job."

"Your job?" Tsuna spat, fury rising. "You're going to kill an innocent over your job?"

"No pirate is innocent," Reborn replied. Not even her…

"We're only pirates in name," Tsuna pleaded, as he tried to figure a way out of his predicament. "It's not like we kill or harm or steal or—"

"Hellora," Reborn cut through the excuses.

"We did nothing wrong! All we wanted to do was help!"

"Noble intentions can still lead to hell."

Tsuna bit his lip at the truism. That was a fact that had haunted him ever since he started on this path. "Hey, if I go quietly with you, can you do me a favour?"

"Bargaining? Pirates these days have no pride."

"Please—"

"I'm not sparing your crew."

"I know, but could you help someone else for me?" Tsuna desperately played for time, but at the same time he hoped the other would actually listen to his request. "Rokudo Mukuro… he deserves it!"

Reborn fell silent, stunned by the Sky Lion's words. "He just tried to kill you, you know."

Tsuna scowled. "That wasn't him! I have no idea who or how or why, but I know that much."

"Mukuro is a World Noble. I doubt he needs any help from you."

"They're abusing him! They may be his family but they're experimenting on him. He could die at this rate! Please, just help him!"

"People die. Bad things happen. Evil thrives. This is the nature of the world. I have no inclination to help ease your conscience."

"This isn't about me! Where's your sense of human decency?"

Reborn scoffed. Sky he may be, but Tsunayoshi was a fool. He made his decision: he'd kill the boy and just take in his head. Surely she would understand how much better the world would be without idealistic fools running around? He readied his gun and without preamble shot to kill.

That was when a storm of bombs was unleashed.


	6. Counterattack

**Thanks for all the reviews, favourites and follows! I'm sorry for taking so long on this chapter. I just couldn't get what I wanted from it, but this was the closest I could get. Thanks to rima10011, Natsu Yuuki, Frost190, MisanthropicGoddess and ShizuBABE for reviewing constantly! To Guest, happy belated birthday! And welcome to the party, AiMila, Yenaya and GhostRin!**

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**Note: "nakama" loosely translates to comrade but in One Piece it implies a very strong bond between crew members. It's deeper than friendship and similar to family, I suppose.**

**Disclaimer: As punishment for taking so long to update, Santa ignored my wish list so no, I still own nothing but the vaguest of plots.**

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Chapter 6: Counterattack

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MM often wondered why she became a journalist. She was once part of a wealthy family, had been well-educated and had a good marriage planned for her. Yet the beloved little heiress had turned her back on all of that, changed her name to just two initials and jumped aboard the first ship off her island into the vast unknown.

She had been sixteen then. Two years later and she could no longer remember what had prompted her insanity. She was working for one of the most illustrious newspapers in the world, but had nothing to show for it. She had learnt how to disguise herself and how to wheedle people for information, but every story she had brought in had either been credited to someone else or discarded in favour of posting pictures of those rebels.

If she ever got a hold of 'The First Clam', or whatever his name was, she was going to punch his pretty little face in.

This time was different. She had been promised, in writing, a front page story, with her name alone in the byline, so long as she could actually find a story.

She had thought doing something on the Estraneo would have been perfect: everyone knew their laundry had never been clean. Unfortunately, it had been a bust. Not a single person on Kokuyo was willing to talk about their ordeals, and while she had plenty of hearsay evidence, nothing worth the front page had presented itself.

With her deadline days away, she had given in to her baser urges last night and let a cute brunette chat her up while she drank herself into a stupor. Unfortunately, the man had left without taking advantage of her and so her virgin days continued.

_'_Really_,'_ she thought when she awoke with a throbbing hangover, 'my life sucks.'

As if to prove her wrong (as always), three plumes of smoke blackened the sky. One came from the forest just east of the café she had been eating at. Another rose from one of the rivers just south of the first. The last and largest came from the far northern hill where the Estraneo family mansion stood alone.

* * *

Gokudera sidestepped a bloody blade and smashed his fist into the attacker's face. He grabbed the man's arm and pulled it back until he felt the distinct grind of bones rubbing against each other unnaturally.

"Where do you keep the prisoners?" Gokudera demanded, but the man preferred to cuss him out than answer.

Mentally shrugging, Gokudera knocked him out and moved on to his next prey. His hand itched to use his dynamite but he could hear the explosions from Lambo not far from him and decided not to chance it. He hoped the idiot cow would remember not to do too much structural damage before they could get out of here.

His muscles throbbed, reminding him of the battle they had escaped but half an hour before, yet he ignored its warning. He would support his captain, come what may.

Ducking behind a doorway, he reloaded his gun while surveying the new passageway. Seeing no one in the immediate vicinity, he shut his eyes and concentrated on his thoughts of Yamamoto. He pictured in minute detail that annoying grin, those dark eyes he glared into daily and that underlying scent of rain which he associated with the chef.

Normally, doing this would immediately allow him to find the crew member he was searching for, but since coming to Kokuyo, his sixth sense had been muffled twice: when looking for Ryohei the first time and when they had broken out of Reborn's ship.

He swallowed thickly and pushed aside thoughts of the hit man who was sure to catch up with them soon. It didn't help: he still couldn't find Yamamoto.

Hearing a foot scuff on the floor, he abandoned his search and aimed his gun at the approaching guards.

_'_Don't kill them_,'_ he thought and shot four bullets in rapid succession. Each one found their mark, allowing him to approach and knock them unconscious.

A loud cry of "EXTREME!" from a corridor nearby made him cringe and hurry on. He wouldn't lose to anyone this time. He would never again fail his nakama.

* * *

"Exactly what do you intend to accomplish here, Sky Lion?"

"Why don't you just leave us alone?"

"Making enemies of the Estraneo will only make you a bigger target."

"I won't stand by while they treat people like test subjects!"

Tsuna and Reborn glared at each other while around them a lab burned. Dismembered corpses were discarded on some tables, while others held copious research notes likely detailing the gruesome experiments that had occurred. At Tsuna's feet were four of the Mukuro doppelgängers and one normal guard.

Where Reborn had come from, Tsuna was unsure but he would defeat him. The number of clones the pirate captain had fought against had been increasing along his path, a sure sign that he was close to where the shipwright was being held. With one of his goals so close, he could not afford to give in to the hit man.

Reborn was furious. The insolent Sky Lion pirates had destroyed his ship and made a fool out of him! He had underestimated them and his now singed suit had paid the price. So why was he still talking to Tsunayoshi instead of capturing him?

_Some people claim that a Sun cannot live without a Sky and in the presence of one, they will do anything to win its trust. Care to experiment, Reborn? _

He hated that nasal voice, even more so when it was from the flashbacks that just wouldn't stop coming! Damn it all, he was trying to concentrate here!

"How about we make a deal?" he asked, more to deal with his headache than anything else.

_A true Sky can never abandon someone they believe innocent to a cruel fate._

He may have hated the scientist, but his advice had never been more helpful.

* * *

Lambo was not stupid. He may whine, he may be a crybaby and naïve and whatever other words Gokudera the Idiot had shouted at him over the past few months, but he was not stupid. He knew that logically, they had a very slim chance of making through this in one piece. There were too many guards, not to mention the clones, and it was unlikely that his captured nakama were still alive.

Of course, he still didn't know _why_ they had taken Yama-nii and Chrome.

Regardless, he realized that the head-on approach that Ryohei-nii and Tsuna-nii had adopted was far too dangerous for someone like him. Like Gokudera, his specialty was bombs but unlike the navigator, his combat skills without them were below average. So while the others could charge in and fight in close quarters with a good rate of success, Lambo was only suited for mid to long-range attacks.

He wasn't complaining. Without those limitations, he would never have been trained in espionage and he would not know more than Tsuna-nii about the Estraneo. But he had and he did, which was going to make all the difference.

Ducking into a small, unguarded storage room, he pressed his gloved palms against the wall until he found a smoother patch than the rest. A few twists and adjustments later, a doorway opened, revealing a dank staircase.

"Really, could they be any more stereotypical?" Lambo muttered as he rushed down them. His barely-holding-together stitches protested the motion, but he ignored the pain. He knew what horrors awaited prisoners of families like the Estraneo. He would never let his nakama experience it, even if it took his life.

His pounding feet led him on through the darkness until the ground leveled out before a rusting door. Praying that he had chosen right, he tossed a grenade and skittered out of the way of the blast. The shock shook the whole room and cracks began to form in the ceiling.

"Yama-nii! Chrome! Are you guys here?"

There was no reply. Perhaps they had been incapacitated? Lambo hurriedly entered the torture chamber, eyes barely registering the blood stains and gleaming tools. Instead, he focused on the manacled figure hanging from a wall.

He cautiously approached, taking note of the multitude of chains that kept the person captive. Hair too long for any of his crewmates obscured the person's face, not that Lambo would have been able to see much in the dark.

"Are you alive?"

There was no reply. Feeling incredibly stupid, Lambo stretched out his hand and searched for a pulse. A faint thrum in the prisoner's neck convinced the teen to take action.

'Hopefully this won't kill him,' the pirate thought as he detonated several smaller bombs. 'I'm coming soon, guys.'

* * *

"Chrome, you okay?"

The bluenette didn't reply, but Yamamoto had expected no less. She hadn't said a word since he had woken up, but that was the least of the chef's worries. Chrome's eyes had returned to the wide-eyed blank state that had been present when they had first met. It was as if she were no longer part of this world.

Chrome had disappeared with some of the guards for a while and returned in the darkness. If anything had been done to her, Yamamoto couldn't tell. Hell, he didn't even know if she was still alive! He glared at the cage bars, imagining slicing through them. It would be so easy, if he wasn't somewhat high from whatever they had injected him with and if he still had his swords.

Sighing dejectedly, he tried again. "Hey, Chrome, are you-?"

"BE A MAN! TELL ME WHERE MY NAKAMA ARE!"

Yamamoto's eyes widened. "RYOHEI! OVER HERE!"

"YAMAMOTO?"

"RYOHEI!"

"YAMAMOTO!"

"RYOHEI!"

"YAMAMOTO!" The door groaned as it tried to withstand a barrage of furious punches.

"RYOHEI!"

"YAMAMOTO!"

The door crumpled as if made of cardboard. The Sky Lions' surgeon rushed through, eyes brightening as he saw the swordsman.

"That was a really fun game of Marco Polo," Yamamoto said, laughing lightly as his nakama broke the bars as quickly as he could.

"It was an EXTREME game! We should do it again!"

Yamamoto agreed, and kept the grin on his face until he was completely freed. "Alright!" he said, stretching his arm muscles. "Can you get Chrome while I go looking for my swords?"

"Leave it to me! I'll keep her safe to the extreme!"

"Thank you!" Yamamoto picked up a piece of wood that had broken free from the door and swung it experimentally. It would do for now.

He was about to exit when he felt something in the air change. He quickly turned back to his nakama and in the light spilling through the doorway, he saw Ryohei kneeling behind Chrome as he removed her bonds. From that angle, Ryohei would never notice the sudden life that had sparked in her eyes, or the twisted smirk spreading across her features.

Yamamoto opened his mouth to warn the surgeon _(Something's wrong! Get away!) _but it was too late. A silver trident pierced Ryohei's shoulder, and he was tossed back into the stone wall. Darkness shadowed the petite girl's form as an unnatural laugh fell from her lips.

"Kufufufu. Finally, a match!"

The floor burst into flame.

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**So I have a question for you guys. While I have the basic elements of the plot of this worked out, I still haven't figured out how much romance should be in this story. The R27 will definitely play an important role, but should the other pairings be implied, or should they be developed more blatantly? Please let me know what you guys think! **


	7. Darkness Falls

**Thanks for all the faves, reviews and follows! Special shout out to my constant reviewers: rima10011, Natsu Yuuki, Frost190, MisanthropicGoddess, AiMila and Yenaya for reviewing constantly! And welcome new reviewers, Kristina M.P, pinkiedoll and SilverWhiteDragon! Love you guys so much and your feedback was immensely helpful! **

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**Please note that I've changed the format slightly (I don't know why I didn't do it this way in the first place): **

**'words' – thoughts. **

**_Italics_**** – memories/emphasis. Italics also is used for the voices inside Reborn's head, since they're born from his memories.**

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Chapter 7: Darkness Falls

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Gokudera cursed as he dodged another punch. A moment standing still got him a trident in the shoulder. Slick streams of blood flowed freely down his hand, mingling with the beads of sweat that had fallen from his forehead.

'It's not real. It's not real.' The mantra looped in his mind, but the scalding heat constantly tested his faith. The floor was on fire, and it was burning him alive.

Similar words raced through Lambo's mind as he raced through the burning building. He left for five minutes to get the prisoner to safety and things had gone to hell. He winced as a spurt of fire went up just in front of him, burning his curls except that _it was not real._

'This man is an amateur,' he thought, 'if you know what true illusionists can do.'

He wondered if the Estraneo were trying to replicate the legendary powers of Mist, but he dismissed the thought as trivial. He had years of training to combat powers such as these, but the others had none. He needed to find his nakama…

A body flew past him, and he skidded to a stop to see a very familiar swordsman stumbling to his feet.

"Take-nii?" he said, unsure if the man was real, but Yamamoto's blinding grin despite the hand grasping his bleeding side told him all he needed to know. People couldn't fake that kind of stupidity.

"Yo, Lambo!" Yamamoto said. "We're in trouble."

"Where are your swords?" Lambo demanded, noticing the other was only wielding a long stick of broken wood.

"No time," Yamamoto replied. "We need to deal with Chrome."

Lambo opened his mouth to ask but his words died as creepy laughter filled the air.

"Kufufu, it's useless to try and fight me." Chrome back flipped gracefully into the corridor, holding a well-bloodied trident. "My fight is not with you. Leave and I might spare your lives."

"What kind of man would leave his nakama behind? Give Chrome her body back!" Ryohei yelled, charging after Chrome.

"She's been possessed," Lambo said incredulously. How could a person who had so far managed only the weakest of mental tricks, suddenly manage to possess someone?

He had little time to contemplate the issue, as a column of fire erupted in front of him. Yamamoto and Ryohei cried out as their clothes began to burn, while Lambo gritted his teeth as he pushed past the crowding fear.

"It's not real!" he yelled. "Look past it!"

"What do you mean? It's EXTREMELY real!" Ryohei yelled back, beating at the flames.

"No, it isn't!" Lambo insisted. "Ignore what you see!"

"It's no use, Bovino. Your family's tricks don't work here," Chrome said, laughing as more flames spiralled around her.

Lambo's eyes narrowed. If he wasn't with the densest members of the crew, he might have worried about the others finding out about his family but as it was, he only saw the words as a challenge.

"Take-nii! Since when are you so scared over fire? Remember the time you flambéed our supper and your shirt caught alight? You laughed while everyone panicked! Why are you so afraid right now?"

Yamamoto stopped his frantic flailing as Lambo's words hit home. 'Why am I panicking? I am a swordsman of the _Shigure Soen Ryu_!'

Lambo quickly turned his attention to the surgeon. "Ryohei-nii! Didn't you tell me you once wanted to be a fireman? What kind of man is afraid of fire? That's not extreme at all!"

"You're right, little bro!" Ryohei said, blinking as he mentally moved away from the feelings of fear that had drawn him in. "I'M GETTING FIRED UP TO THE EXTREME!"

Lambo smirked as he turned back to his possessed crew mate. "Well? How's that for my tricks, you son of a –!"

His words died on his tongue as pain, real pain, rocked his nervous system. He gasped for breath, black crowding his vision, while in the background voices yelled.

"Little bro! Lambo!"

Someone was screaming his name.

"Get away from him!"

Was there still a trident sticking out of him? Or was the blood he seeing from the wounds caused by a silenced gun?

There was silver hair in his vision. His eyes were sliding shut. There was fire and crashes and stone falling around him.

Was that Gokudera? No, he didn't want the gunman to see him like this… not again. Please…

He didn't want to see his nakama cry again.

* * *

"C'mon, Turf-head, do something!"

"I'm trying!" Ryohei snapped without heat, his full attention focused on the small form in Gokudera's arms. Small yellow flames danced through his fingers, but they were slow to heal the gaping wound on Lambo's torso.

The surgeon had nearly exhausted his flame supply. He had already healed himself, Gokudera, Lambo and Tsuna a few hours before. To fix a wound of this scale by himself… he wished he had learnt more from his grandfather before he had left his home. At this rate, he was going to fail his nakama.

Shaking off his pessimistic thoughts, he instructed Yamamoto to rip up his shirt into ersatz bandages. Between Gokudera and the swordsman, they soon had the hole bandaged tightly while Ryohei beat off the worst of the damage.

"Yamamoto," Gokudera whispered softly, "why was Chrome attacking Lambo?"

"You brought the roof down on her without even knowing that?" Yamamoto replied just as quietly.

"Lambo looked like he'd died. She deserved it." Gokudera shrugged slightly, playing with his cigarette pack.

"It wasn't her. Something took over her. Lambo said she was possessed." Yamamoto began wrapping his own wound and Gokudera leaned over to help.

"Is that why the floor was on fire?"

"Yeah, but Lambo said it wasn't real."

"Illusions then?"

"Yeah, that's what he said. I've never experienced anything like that before." He glanced at the silverette. "Do you know about them?"

Gokudera smiled humourlessly. "I left the Grand Line long before I got a chance to learn anything useful like that."

They fell silent, watching as Ryohei's flames spluttered across Lambo's skin.

"It's amazing, that ability," Yamamoto said. "I kinda wish I could do something that useful."

"Turf-top's ability is inherent to his family, remember?" Gokudera rolled his eyes. "You should stick to being a swordsman. Speaking of which, where are your swords?"

It was Yamamoto's turn to shrug. "They were gone when I woke up."

"Well, go find them! You can't fight whatever the hell we're fighting with just a piece of wood!"

"Hey, it's not like I had a choice!"

"You both should go," Ryohei said. Ignoring their incredulous looks, he explained, "Neither of you are going to be much help here, and it's too dangerous for Yamamoto to go alone."

"But what if Chrome or someone else attacks you?"

"You're too vulnerable like this, Turf-top!"

"I'll handle it." Ryohei's eyes glowed with determination, causing the other two to back down and agree. "Good. Now scram, to the extreme!" He smiled at them before returning to his work.

"You better wake up soon," Gokudera whispered in Lambo's ear before placing the unconscious boy on the ground. "C'mon, idiot."

Yamamoto followed without protest.

Three prayers fell from unmoving lips: 'Please keep them safe.'

* * *

Gunfire resounded in the corridor, occasionally accompanied by the side of meeting flesh. Two sets of gaits, one barely heard and the other heavy, were the background music for the cacophony of violence interspersed with yells.

"You are out of your mind!"

"You're being unreasonable!"

"I'm being unreasonable?" Tsuna spat back. "Your terms of surrender are rubbish!"

"It's a good deal-!"

"How is being decapitated a good deal, you bastard?"

Tsuna smashed his fist into Reborn's face, relishing in the brief pleasure it brought him even as Reborn caught the offending limb and tossed him over his shoulder. He just managed to scramble onto his feet fast enough to dodge the bullets Reborn sent his way.

"It's completely unfair that you're using ranged weapons against me! I don't have any to return the favour!" Tsuna whined, as he tried to ease the pain in one of his shoulders. Ryohei would not be pleased by all the exertions the last hour had brought.

"It's pathetic that you don't know how to fight against a gunman," Reborn replied, tilting his fedora upwards with the tip of the gun. Tsunayoshi didn't take the opening, so he must be biding his time.

"I've never fought against a gunman as skilled as you," Tsuna grudgingly admitted. "And your hand combat skills are pretty high level."

"That's an understatement," Reborn replied with a cocky smirk. Tsuna responded with a more humble version of it, unable to stay angry at the hitman with all the adrenaline rushing through his veins. Had he ever felt so excited during a fight before? Probably not. He was most certainly going to die if he kept fighting as he had so far against Reborn.

"The reality of dying makes it better, doesn't it?" Reborn said and then fired at point blank range. Tsuna's small breather had given him the boost he needed to avoid it. "Feeling like a trapped animal yet? There's no way you can beat me."

"Funny thing about feeling trapped," Tsuna's said, voice echoing as he dodged between the rubble that had resulted from their fight and the Sky Lion crew's liberal use of explosive. "It lets you do the most reckless things."

The pirate captain barrelled into Reborn, taking him by surprise. They fell hard against a door, causing the ancient wood to splinter than shatter when Tsuna kicked the hitman through it.

Reborn's glare promised murder. He rolled to his feet, deftly avoiding further attacks now that Tsuna had lost the element of surprise. It was only after the third punch that his surroundings registered through his killer intent. The woman trying to bash his skull in with a thick petri dish might also have had something to do with it.

Considering the terrible choice of weapon, Reborn decided not to avoid the attack and shot the woman in the head as it connected. Still, the momentary lapse in concentration should have allowed the Sky Lion an opening, which hadn't been taken. A quick glance showed that Tsunayoshi was fighting off two men wielding scalpels of all things. Another quick glance showed three more assailants approaching, with equally unimpressive murder weapons. He killed them quickly. Without meaning to, he stepped back as he surveyed the twenty odd scientists (because who else would try to attack with a Bunsen burner?) in the room, and his back met Tsunayoshi's.

Surprisingly, the pirate didn't seem to care. Had blood loss gotten to the Sky Lion after all?

"Spies!" snarled one of the scientists. "How did you make it this far?"

"You cannot interrupt the experiment!" said another.

"Get away, now!"

Reborn mentally rolled his eyes. Was that the best these idiots could do? You would think the Estraneo would hire intelligent people.

"I'll take the ones on the left. You take the ones on the right."

Reborn blinked. Had the brat just given him an order?

"We are not nakama, you damn-!"

"Now!" Tsuna cried, and launched himself at the nearest assailant.

"Listen when people are talking to you!" Reborn said. Spurred on by Tsunayoshi's actions, the mob had decided to attack. Reborn ruthlessly gunned down every one that was stupid enough to try and take him on.

There were a lot of bodies at his feet. The world would be a better place with so many less idiots in it.

Turning to the biggest moron of them all, Reborn took careful aim as Tsunayoshi finished the last man off. The pirate wasn't even killing them! Yes, the world would be much better off without the Sky Lion.

A scream pierced the air, causing Tsunayoshi to whirl around and the shot to miss. Dammit!

Tsuna couldn't care less for his almost murder. His face paled as he recognised the voice hidden in the extremities of the yell. "Mukuro!" he said, tearing towards the observation screen set against the wall.

Reborn twitched. To disregard his presence so readily… the Sky Lion had a death wish. Reborn was going to grant it, after he etched the fear of his gun into every molecule of the arrogant pirate's body.

(At the back of his mind, he thought he was acting too highly strung. But the rage came easily forward.

_Jealousy makes you nasty._

One day, he was going to kill the real owner of that voice, and then maybe the imaginary one would go away too.)

He stalked to Tsunayoshi's side, but any action he contemplated taking vanished from his mind at what he saw.

It was heinous.

There were so many tubes that the writhing body was almost concealed underneath it all. A strange blue mixture was being pumped into several lacerations that had been made on Mukuro's strapped down body and his left eye…

Tsuna gagged. He turned away from the sight, glancing around for some indication of how to get into the room. He spotted a keypad but it was password protected. Maybe he could just punch through the glass?

"Not with your measly punches," Reborn told him shortly. "And yes, I can read minds."

Tsuna glared at him, not believing him. "Well, what would you suggest?"

"This isn't my problem," Reborn said.

"But you're just as disturbed as me. I mean, you can see his…" Tsuna trailed off, unwilling to put to words what was plain to see. He glanced at the shipwright again, then returned to staring at the ground, mouth twisted with pain.

Reborn said nothing. Three quick shots from customised bullets smashed the glass, as did the kick that brought it down.

Tsuna gaped for a moment, before flashing a smile at Reborn. He jumped into the room and immediately went to Mukuro's side. Almost as if responding to the intruder, Mukuro's convulsions increased and blood began to run from his tube-filled mouth.

Reborn readied his gun at Tsuna. This time he wouldn't miss. He was done with this foolish job.

At that moment, Tsuna turned his head towards Reborn, tears in his eyes. "He's dying." There was a pause. "I can't save him."

Was Reborn supposed to care?

Tsuna swallowed. "If you save his life, I will offer you mine in exchange."

"What's to prevent me from just taking it now?"

"Nothing." Tsuna smiled as a tear tracked its way down his skin. "But I can promise you that Mukuro did nothing to deserve this life he was given."

Once again, was Reborn supposed to care?

"Nobody should suffer like this. I know that it happens all the time, but I can't see such horrors and not try to do something! This world is filled with terrible things, and I know that my actions include me in them. You were right earlier: a pirate is evil no matter their cause." Tsuna smiled bitterly. "I just wanted to see the world I had denied my mother. Instead, I've destroyed things and killed people. Worst of all, a part of me enjoyed it. Thought that it was okay. That it was fun. And that's wrong."

He clenched his fist. "There's nothing I can do to stop you from killing me and leaving Mukuro to die, but…" He bit his lip. "When I first met you, I knew there was something off about you, but I didn't mind. In the end, I thought you to be a good man." He smiled. "Don't prove me wrong now."

Reborn was silent. His mind whirled through different thoughts and emotions that didn't show on his face. Finally, he holstered his gun and entered the room. "Stop the machines from working. At this point they're useless and none of them are helping him medically."

Tsunayoshi beamed like a fucking moron and Reborn wondered if stupidity was contagious. Thankfully, the pirate did not comment further. He faithfully unplugged all of the machinery while Reborn surreptitiously slipped a ring with a pacifier-shaped golden beryl onto his finger. Ignoring his thoughts were easy when his Flames perforated Mukuro's skin, sending him bursts of information that painted a grim picture of Mukuro's health. He ripped the tube out of Mukuro's mouth and ordered Tsunayoshi to get the rest except for the needles sticking out of various body parts, most notably the eye. He would leave that for last.

Tsuna watched as yellow fire surrounded Mukuro's bloody wounds. It looked so similar to Ryohei's abilities… but better. Cleaner. Purer. Hadn't Ryohei said that his power was exclusive to his family?

Reborn began talking rapidly. "You see those those needles? They're fine staying in for now since the machine is off. They have been sucking out his abilities and channelling it through other mediums."

"You mean the clones?"

"Yes." Reborn answered impatiently. "The problem is that they've taken too much. That, coupled with whatever he was going through here, is causing his body to shut down. It can't take the strain." He frowned. "His powers form part of his life force. Without them, even if I heal his body, he won't be able to recover."

He glanced up at the largest machine, recognising it vaguely. "There must be another place where the siphoned energy was stored and transferred. A control centre, in other words. You need to find it and destroy it. Since it's a life force energy, without containment it should return to the original body."

Tsuna bit his lip as he nodded. "Do you know where to find it?"

"No!" Reborn snapped and focused entirely on his patient.

'Well, that's a clear dismissal as any,' Tsuna thought. He spared a look at Mukuro's paling face and spasm-wracked body before rushing off. "Stay safe!" he called over his shoulder as he left the room.

Reborn scoffed.

_Well, well, well. The Great Reborn, reduced to an underling by a little Sky. Can't fight your instincts, can you?_

"Shut up, Verde," Reborn muttered and returned to his task.

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**Hope you guys liked it, and sorry for the wait! After considering all the help you guys gave me, I've decided to imply some pairings and develop others alongside R27. Would you guys like me to put up a poll for you to vote for your favourite choices? **

**Also! I have a new R27 story up as well, and another in the works, so if you guys enjoy AUs, please check them out as they come :)**


	8. Series of Unfortunate Events

**The poll is up! I'm glad to see some people have already voted. And I sincerely apologise for the wait! This chapter just didn't want to be written and I had no idea what to do. So I wrote other R27 stories instead… But I'm getting back into it, so don't worry! Thanks for all the support, favourites and follows ^u^ **

**Special shout out to DragonClaw827, Kristina M.P., Frost190, Niknok19, akirachan7, Misanthropic Goddess, Natsu Yuuki, AiMila, rima10011 and Guest for your lovely reviews! Without them, this chapter would not have been done at all! **

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Chapter 8: Series of Unfortunate Events

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Yellow fire. That's the first thing Lambo registered. He had seen Gokudera's horrified expression turn blank, before everything went grey and now there was yellow fire. It was so warm, like the hearth of his family home or the hugs his mother had given him when he had done well on a mission. Was this what being dead felt like? If so, maybe some of his targets had been grateful for their early grave.

Slowly, the fuzzy yellow halo of fire came into focus and Lambo could start making sense of his surroundings. He was in a comfy, well-lived in cabin that was unfamiliar in all but the fact that it was a ship cabin. The slope of the ceiling, the way the room was built, even the quality of the wood suggested money, care and a small sized ship.

The fire suddenly faded. Darkness crowded him. Lambo blinked furiously as he adjusted his vision to compensate for the lack of light. Then the fire flared up again but it was in the distance, reminding Lambo of the loss of heat. He shivered and slowly turned his sore body over to get a better glimpse of the elusive fire.

Silver hair and blood. A wave of nausea hit him. Gokudera was strung up from the rafters by heavy chains. The Sky Lion's first mate was limp, and stripped of all of his weapons. A man was touching him, and the yellow fire encircled both of them.

Lambo opened his mouth to protest, to tell the man to get his hands off his nakama, but he could barely move his lips when he tried. He tried to move closer to Gokudera, but the few centimetres he managed to move revealed that his arms were chained to the thick wooden pillar behind him and his feet were similarly locked in place to a solid metal piece of floorboard in front of him.

The fire was a form of poison then? Most of Lambo's body felt numb and his head was still buzzing. Glancing at Gokudera, he wondered if the older male was still alive. The man touching Gokudera pushed up the silverette's shirt and began to fondle his body. Lambo looked away.

He caught sight of another shape just outside the furthest limits of the light. His eyes narrowed as he tried to recognise the silhouette. It looked like… Ryohei?

"Hey!"

Lambo jolted. That voice was so loud. It sounded as if it was right next to him! The man was still touching Gokudera silently and the silhouette was still. Who had spoken?

"C'mon, little bro! You need to get up!"

Lambo blinked and the scene changed. His body was heavier, dull pains running through it, and against a backdrop of rubble and scattered light, Ryohei was smiling at him.

"That's it!" Ryohei cried. "Keep your eyes open to the extreme!"

"Whaa-?" Lambo slurred in reply. His eyelids slid down for a heavy blink and then he was back in the cabin, now illuminated by a lantern.

The man was cleaning his hands somewhere behind Lambo. Lambo was bewildered, trying to figure out what happened while the tap ran in the background. The water shut off and the man walked past him. The man was dressed in a suit and a fedora, and as he walked over to the lantern on a table nearby, he pulled out a gun.

Lambo's green eyes widened. He may have never seen it in person, but no person in the underworld of the Grand Line would not recognise it. _Leon_, the legendary gun that was said to transform in times of great distress. Only two men were said to have owned it: Sun of the Arcobaleno and 'Greatest Lover' Reborn. Sun was dead.

The man suddenly turned and black eyes pierced his. The Grand Line's number one bounty hunter smiled darkly.

Fear made every part of Lambo's body hurt more. He struggled uselessly against his bonds as Reborn approached silently. Reborn raised his gun arm and Lambo began to pray for something, _anything_ to save him.

"Don't do this to me, Lambo!"

The change in lighting informed Lambo that he was in a different locale. Ryohei was back, but no longer smiling.

"We need to move!" Ryohei said and Lambo could hear distant rumbling that grew more ominous as it became louder. "I need you to stay with me!"

'I would do anything,' Lambo wanted to scream, but his lips were too cold. 'Anything at all! Just don't send me back to that room!'

Ryohei couldn't hear him but that was fine. Warm arms wrapped around him and Ryohei began to carry him bridal style. "Just stay awake," Ryohei was saying. "You've lost a lot of blood but we can do this!"

His eyes weighed so much. His brain was blocking everything out. Lambo tried to stay awake, wanting to remain with his nakama, but the call of ether was too strong. 'Please let me wake up again!' he thought as he slipped back into the cabin.

He knew what was happening now though. This was just a dream or, more specifically, the memory of the hours after Reborn had captured him and Gokudera on the docks.

The lantern had been put out, blood was running from Lambo's temple and Reborn had already left. Gokudera and Ryohei had already awoken and were talking escape plans. Lambo sluggishly raised his head, but chose not to participate any further in this dreamscape. He knew how it would all go anyway.

Gokudera may not have been a great assassin like Lambo, but he had done and experienced things that someone with Lambo's training had not. Assassins didn't get caught alive, but failed hit men like Gokudera did. It had been a synch for Gokudera to pick his locks once he had extracted a thin needle embedded in his skin. He had then freed Ryohei and Lambo, while bickering over the merits of using one's body as a storage unit.

Ryohei fell silent in the memory, meaning that Gokudera had begun the first phase of the plan. Soon Ryohei would heal them, they would recover their weapons (and some new ones) and the ship would be blown sky high. Then it would be a race to get to their ship, only to find and rescue their captain instead. From there, Tsuna would order them to attack the mansion where he had (rightly) guessed their other nakama were being held.

How long would Lambo have to remain in this already completed sequence of terrifying events? He was no coward, but they had been pretty reckless in dealing with Reborn the Great and remembering it only made it harder to live with. They were all going to die when they met Reborn again. Luck, like lightning, did not strike twice.

"Lambo!"

He was back in reality again, but a new face crowded his vision. Tsuna was holding him close, looking worriedly into his eyes. Lambo tried to say his captain's name but only a faint whimper escaped him. It only made Tsuna's eyes wetter.

"What can I do?" Tsuna asked someone. Lambo spotted their doctor from the corner of his eye.

"Get going to the extreme!" Ryohei replied, playing with some needles. "We were lucky enough to find this room with medical supplies. Lambo will be fine. It's the other two that you should be worried about!" He picked up a packet of blood and made Tsuna settle Lambo on the bed. "Something's gotten into Chrome and they're too injured to put up much of a fight!"

Tsuna was nodding. "Okay, but do me a favour?" Ryohei was busy inserting a needle into Lambo's vein but managed to nod. "As soon as you can, you need to get out of here. And when you do, destroy as many machines as you can on the way out. Better yet, try to destroy this whole place!"

Lambo was surprised, as was Ryohei. "Like Hellora?" Ryohei asked. "Why?"

"For the same reason. Remember how Chrome was controlled in Hellora? Gokudera told us that something inside the building was controlling her. Destroying this place will save us having to search for it."

"But what about you?" Ryohei said, echoing Lambo's silent sentiments.

"I'll be fine. As will the others. Everyone will get out safe." Tsuna smiled, but it did nothing to reassure them. Tsuna was being _reckless_, more so then he had ever been before. "That's an order, you two. Don't go looking for us."

"Oi, Tsuna!" Ryohei yelled, but Tsuna quickly left the room. "Dammit!"

Lambo wondered when it had all gone to hell.

* * *

What was the difference between one sword and the next? They weren't like guns, which needed special bullets and gunpowder so as not to fuck one up. It's not like they had a specific range or anything beyond the simple size of it. The only real difference could be the metal used, but when surrounded by an army in a mansion that boasted the highest quality weapons, why the hell couldn't the idiot chef just _pick any sword_?

"Are you sure these aren't yours?" Gokudera growled, shoving several swords at Yamamoto while checking over his shoulder for more enemies.

Yamamoto picked them up and then tossed them aside. "Not mine," he said shortly, and continued shovelling through a pile of unsorted junk lying around the armoury.

"Are you sure?" he demanded. "They look just like them!"

"Not mine!" Yamamoto snapped and Gokudera shut up. Yamamoto rarely lost his temper. The swordsman rubbed his face and sighed. "Sorry, Gokudera," he apologised. "I'm just… annoyed and worried."

Gokudera's mind summoned up an image of Lambo and Ryohei, causing mental shudders. "I'm worried too," he said softly. "But there's still enemies around. We can keep looking for your blades but can you just pick some to use for now? My supply of gunpowder isn't unlimited, you know."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Yamamoto smiled but it lacked warmth. "There's some ammo and grenades in the corner over there." He indicated towards the far right.

Gokudera wandered off in their direction and began picking through the Estraneo's collection. "Is there a reason why you want your guns back so badly?"

"Wouldn't you be upset if you lost your guns?"

Gokudera rolled his eyes. "Only because I was weak enough to lose them. The guns themselves don't matter."

"Well, my swords—"

Yamamoto's words were lost under a loud cry of, "GIVE ME MY NAKAMA BACK!"

The chef and the navigator stared in silence at each other, processing the voice they had heard. In the background, fire roared and something shattered. Gradually growing louder, the "kufufu" cackling from a feminine throat was what ultimately spurred them to action.

Grabbing the closest weapons, Gokudera raced out of the large room in a litany of curses, followed closely by Yamamoto.

"Stay away from Jyuudaime!" Gokudera yelled and shot at the bluenette the moment he was in range.

"Tsuna! You okay?" Yamamoto's new swords were quickly ripped free from their sheaths.

Their captain nodded briefly at them in the respite granted by Gokudera's guns' cover. The moment Gokudera moved to refuel, Yamamoto slammed his sword into Chrome. Her trident caught the blow and Yamamoto felt the intense heat return. But he was a chef: heat was something he was used to. He brought his second blade into play and began a deadly assault to buy his more strategic nakama time to come up with a plan.

"How's your injuries?" was the first thing Tsuna said to Gokudera.

Gokudera shrugged as he aimed his gun back on his target. "You think we can save her, Jyuudaime?"

"We can save them both."

Gokudera sighed, then straightened. It was his job to keep his pure-hearted captain safe, no matter what spontaneously terrible decision he made. "Have you tried talking to her yet?" Seeing his captain shake his head, Gokudera continued, "Good. Do that while the sword idiot keeps her off you. I have a plan."

And as his captain beamed at him, Gokudera prayed that his last words would prove true.

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**A/N: Guys, let's not even talk about the next chapter yet. I rewrote this one four times, stared at the blank page for hours every week and only finished this while procrastinating for finals... I'm screwed and so is the next non-existent (at this point) update. **

**To Guest: Hi, thanks for the review! Sorry for taking so long on this chapter. No, you didn't miss anything. I glossed over a lot of things to hurry this part of the story along (seriously, I just want them to get back on the sea already!) but some of it is explained in this chapter. Mostly, just think of Chapter Seven as launching you into the middle of the action and the explanation for the in-between bits come up as flashbacks ^u^ Hope that helped! If not, just let me know that you want a clearer explanation.**


	9. A Lion to Believe in

**I'm so ashamed... I can't believe it's been over a year since I updated this. Note to self: never start more stories in order to avoid writer's block. I started the _My Sempai is a Creepy Stalker_ AU because this one's plot was so difficult to manage, and then started _A Whole New World_ because I got writer's block there too! Now I'm just suffering through all of them... **

**This year has also been pretty awful, so I haven't been writing much. Let's hope that changes! Thank you for your support of this story and for all the wonderful reviews you all wrote. I swear I felt twice as bad reading through them and rushed to put out a new chapter because of it. I'm so sorry for the wait T-T.**

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**Quick recap:** Reborn is a bounty hunter that decided to capture the Sky Lion Crew, newbies who had just made it to the Grand Line. He and Tsuna flirt badly, Mukuro decides to repair their ship and then everything goes to hell. That's what you get when you mess with the Estraneo, which is precisely what the crew did when they saved Chrome from an evil institute that experimented on her. The Estraneo henchmen, who took on Mukuro's appearance in order to use his illusions, recapture Chrome and Yamamoto is taken along as well. Lambo, Gokudera and Ryohei are targeted by Reborn. However, they manage to escape in time to save Tsuna - who just revealed his Sky Dying Will Flames to Reborn - and in the aftermath, they heal and go to the Estraneo mansion to save Chrome and Mukuro. Reborn chases after them and sexual tension flies between him and Tsuna. Eventually, they find Mukuro and see his terrible condition after being forced to walk the paths of hell in his family's experiments. Against his better judgment, Reborn agrees to save Mukuro while Tsuna destroys the machine that's sapping Mukuro's life energy. Meanwhile, Lambo finds a prisoner and then he, Ryohei and Yamamoto fight Chrome, who is possessed by Mukuro. Lambo is severely injured and is looked after by Ryohei, while Gokudera secures for them an escape route before he and Yamamoto go to fight Chrome. Tsuna passes on Reborn's instructions to the recovering Lambo and tiring Ryohei, before joining in the fight to save Chrome.

(Also, Reborn likes to listen to the voices inside his head... kinda).

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Chapter 9: A Lion to Believe in

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"Name yourself!" Gokudera snarled.

"My my, have you forgotten me so soon? And yet I spent the most time with you out of all the crew." It was eerie to hear Chrome's melodic voice speaking so sarcastically, so sadistically vicious as a trident twirled in her hand. With every cycle, something new was released: a lion, fire ants, large-as-a-house spiders. Luckily Tsuna was taking care of it, but Gokudera remembered well what his Jyuudaime's half-healed wounds looked like.

_So it's the same as in Hellora. _Gokudera thought._ They can take over her temporarily, but can't access her memories. Why did Jyuudaime have to pick up such a pain-in-the-ass crewmate?_

Last time they just needed to knock Chrome out to get her back. And if they blew up this place like they did Hellora, they wouldn't have to worry about her attacker either. Last time, however, she wasn't possessed by a strong illusionist. Reluctantly, with his wounds, they definitely needed to change plans.

"Formation three!" he yelled, and aimed his guns at the newest illusion. Seemingly distracted, Chrome came at him, but before she could touch his flesh, Yamamoto was bearing down on her. Their weapons clashed, and Yamamoto clumsily hooked a sword into the tines of Chrome's trident. She frowned and tried to pull back, but Tsuna was right behind, and pounded viciously into her arm.

With a cry, Chrome released the weapon and rolled back. "How cruel! Do you not care for this body at all?"

"Bones can be remade," Tsuna said darkly, "but nakama can't!"

Yamamoto tossed the trident at Gokudera's feet, and then he and Tsuna renewed their attack.

Surprisingly, Chrome didn't summon a new trident. She did, however, continue to make illusions, but they were becoming less and less real as they pushed her. Blood was running from her eye, the iris of which had turned red. Tsuna noticed it as he drew close, and suddenly – coinciding with a sharp pang in his head – he knew who it was.

"So you're the real Mukuro then?"

"Kufufu, you figured it out." Mukuro huffed in Chrome's body, picking up a sword from the ground. "Not that it helps you at all."

"Mukuro…" Tsuna's face was pained. "Don't do this. There are other ways-!"

"What do you know?" Mukuro snarled back. "This body is mine! The original is useless now! But with this girl, I can finally be free."

"She's a human being, you fucker!" snarled Gokudera. "You can't just take over people as you please!"

"Oh, but I can." Mukuro's smirk was dark. "Don't you know? My family raised this girl – fed her, clothed her, kept her alive – solely to be my vessel. She owes me her life, and yet I only take her body. A fair deal, is it not?"

"People are not objects!" Yamamoto protested. "Give her back!"

Mukuro frowned. "How about a deal? I will keep her mind alive inside of this body, but possess it still. We can travel together and she will experience the world, so long as you leave with me now."

"No!" all three shouted.

"That's no life at all for Chrome!" Tsuna argued.

"It is more of a life than she ever expected." Mukuro shrugged. "It far exceeds the standards her birth had promised her."

"You're only saying that because you're about to lose." With no illusions around them yet, Gokudera grabbed the discarded trident. "We have the weapons and the numbers to end this. Stop grasping at straws and maybe we will be merciful."

Mukuro grinned manically. "Have it your way then." He flipped the sword and aimed for his own – Chrome's – exposed abdomen.

Screams echoed through the dusty chamber.

* * *

Lambo tried not to wince as his wheelchair screeched to a halt outside another room. Thank god Ryohei-nii had thought to tie him to the chair, or he would have probably dashed his brains on the tiled floor by now.

"Extreme punch!" Ryohei yelled and smashed down the locked door. A peek through the splinters revealed a storage room, but Lambo insisted they check for hidden panels before moving on. "You need to rest!" Ryohei grumbled, and Lambo didn't have the heart to tell him that there was nothing restful about the breakneck speeds Ryohei used to push them along.

Their inspection yielded nothing, and so Lambo found himself hurtling along to the next door. Really, he would like nothing more than to go hide with the prisoner he had found, but his nakama were still in danger. Besides, Tsuna-nii had given them a (rather foolish) errand to fulfil. There had to be a reason why their captain had specified machines. If he could get to central control, he could figure it out (hopefully) and avoid the destruction that Tsuna had originally called for. There was no way they could set off explosives while their nakama's fate was yet unknown.

"There!" he called and Ryohei roughly pulled back until they had stopped. If only the brake hadn't broken off this damn chair the first time they had tried to stop it…

The room produced a strange machine, and a few of the Mukuro clones, but Lambo was not yet satisfied. They returned to their search, and doorways flew by. It might have been the sixth or eighth one (he lost count amid their occasional opponents) that yielded the grand prize: a secret room filled with whirring machines and screens.

"Finally!" Ryohei pumped the air in triumph. He rushed to begin shutting down the machines, too tired to destroy them. Hopefully, it would be enough.

Lambo, on the other hand, pushed himself closer to the screens. They reflected various parts of the castle, although many were blank from all the structural damage caused by the Sky Lion Crew. He began tapping various buttons, until luck smiled at him and he was able to switch screens. He rapidly bypassed practically static images of rubble and prone bodies, keeping an eye out for any strange machinery and his nakama.

He paused, horror-struck at the latest projection. Looking rather annoyed and surrounded by blood and destruction was Reborn. In front of him was one of the many clones of Mukuro that they had seen, but yellow flames were dancing around them both. "How?" he managed to gasp, then noticed that Reborn seemed to be talking. He tried a few buttons that seemed to fit his purpose before sound crackled into his speaker.

"-foolish Lion. I should never have agreed to this. How hard is it to find and destroy the right machine?" He cursed and the flames flickered before became brighter. "Tsunayoshi probably just abandoned me here in the hopes I will die."

So Reborn was the reason for Tsuna-nii's words! The hesitation was only a second, but Lambo grabbed hold of his courage and pressed the opposing button. "What machine are you talking about?"

To his credit, the bounty hunter didn't show any indication of surprise. He simply turned towards the hidden camera and asked, "To whom do I speak?"

"L-Lambo, of the S-Sky Lion Crew!" Dammit, now was not the time to stumble over words!

"So your captain didn't break his word after all…"

"Tsuna is a true man! He would never break his word!" Ryohei-nii yelled at the screen. Yet his brow was furrowed as he looked, his confusion over the flames practically palatable.

Reborn didn't grace Ryohei with a response. Instead, he turned back to the prone form lying on the bed and said, "There should be a machine there that has multiple connections. Its piping should lead to things like the ventilation system or something similar. It's how these mass illusions are occurring, but it is also leading to the death of Rokudo Mukuro. Find and destroy the machine, and his power will be gone too."

"I don't trust you," Lambo declared, but the world's greatest lover didn't reply. Huffing, Lambo turned to look over the machines.

"That one!" he and his doctor declared together.

"No detonations in your condition!" Ryohei-nii immediately followed up, and took one of Lambo's grenades to hook it to the machine in question.

Lambo began flicking through the screens again, hoping to see his nakama. Nothing, nothing, nothing… why was Tsuna on the ground, bleeding?

"Tsuna-nii!" he managed to scream before he was pulled out of the room. "Let me go back!" he yelled at his nakama. "Tsuna-nii needs our help!"

"Then let's get to him extremely fast!" Ryohei yelled back.

The explosion that followed his words knocked them both off their feet.

* * *

"Tsuna!"

"Jyuudaime!"

"Release me at once!" Mukuro snarled, struggling beneath Tsuna's weight. Blood stained his clothes, rushing forth from the wound in Tsuna's left arm. Mukuro had lost his sword, but if he could just end his life here, he could theoretically possess the silver-haired pirate without the others being any the wiser.

"You will not possess any of us anymore," Tsuna said quietly, his voice quelling the others. Orange eyes bored into Mukuro's mismatched ones and he found that he could not look away, not even with the distracting fire that burned on the Sky Lion's forehead. "You no longer need to."

"I will not give up and die!" Mukuro shot back, calm gone as he felt the pull of the abyss more than ever before. "I have suffered more than you will ever know for this chance."

Tsuna moved his unharmed hand to touch Mukuro's cheek, gently caressing it as he had in the shipyard just a few days before. "You will not die," he promised. "I will save you."

Mukuro laughed bitterly, but the pirate spoke on.

"An acquaintance is saving your body as we speak, but you need to return to it in order to heal fully."

Mukuro's laughter died off. "And then what?" he asked coldly. "I would sooner die than return to the life of before."

Tsuna smiled. "Come with me." His eyes grew impossibly brighter. "Join my crew as yourself, and all the world will lay before you, as it does before every man, woman and child." He lifted himself from Mukuro slightly, but the illusionist did not take advantage of his freed limbs… yet. "I swear to end the suffering that you and Chrome have endured, and make the world a better place for you both." His smile looked a bit sadder now. "Your family will pay for what they've done, even if you decide your place is not by my side."

Mukuro felt fear of a different kind now, as well as a rush of adrenaline. The cracked ceiling above Tsuna's head seemed so much closer now, and the ground infinitely softer. "I just want to be free…" he says so softly, he is not sure if Tsuna had heard it.

"You will be," the Sky Lion promised. His eyes shut and Mukuro felt warm lips touch his forehead. He did not know if it was still possible for him to cry after walking the paths of death, but blood ran from his red eye nevertheless. What a tender touch. He had forgotten how warm he could feel from a small kindness.

The scene darkened and then disappeared, carrying his acquiescence into his dreamscape.

* * *

Reborn nimbly picked his way through another ravished hallway, despite the copious amount of broken architecture littering his path. His burden was still lost to the world, but breathed still, which was reassuring. He did not waste all his time for the Sky Lion to go back on his deal because he let Rokudo Mukuro die.

As he approached the doorway that led back to the main path, he made out voices that had him ducking into the shadows.

"-supposed to look after him!"

"Quiet, stupid cow! Jyuudaime was ridiculously brave, and I think he managed to save Chrome."

"He knocked her out like last time?"

"No, he did this… thing. His head was on fire and he starting speaking all captainy-like. It was really cool!"

"Suuuure… what really happened, Ahodera?"

"…exactly what the idiot said. Jyuudaime just became… different. Before he passed out, he told us everything would be fine and his eyes… they were orange!"

"I'll give you both an examination when we get out of here…"

"Ryohei, we're fine! It really happened! And I even found my swords!"

"Stupid swordsman…"

Reborn listened to the drifting voices in horror. There was no way… after all this time… He had wanted to write the first time off as a fluke, or just unfiltered Dying Will. But this went beyond mere flames. Orange eyes, a controlled flame, changed voice... not to mention how Reborn had done his bidding, believed in his voice despite knowing what lies could roll of Tsuna's tongue.

Could this be the hope that Luce had believed in? The future that she had envisioned for him?

_..Someday, you will find a new Sky. One that will heal what I broke…_

Promises, promises, all by the woman who shattered his heart. He tossed the illusionist over his shoulder (he would survive… probably) and took out his gun.

"Chaos!" he called as he stepped into the light, and watched as the Sky Lion Crew whirled to meet his threat.

* * *

**For those of you who decide to read this, thank you again! Also, thanks to those wonderful reviewers who got me going again: IIBlueFoxBlazinII, DragonClaw827, Niknok19, Misanthropic Goddess, Frost190, Natsuyuuki, AiMila, FallenBleedingAngel, Pandawasmyballpen, shinigame3, Dimensional Roamer, ezcap1st, rentamiya, w- easy enough and all the guests! **

**Hopefully for the next chapter, you can expect introspective Reborn, everyone rushing to heal, memories of a destroyed boat, and HIBARI (very very briefly because he DGAF). And maybe the identity of the other captive... **

**This was not edited very well, so please feel free to critique or point out mistakes... **


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